Gallery of Broken Hearts
by Mitsukaii
Summary: Syaoran runs a successful business within the halls of Tomoeda High: Cowardly boyfriends pay him to seduce their girlfriends, just to spark a reason for a breakup! But all hell breaks loose when his secret is discovered by Sakura Kinomoto. COMPLETE.
1. the breakup business

**Gallery of Broken Hearts  
**(01: the breakup business)

'_Honeybun, I miss you. Won't you pretty please text me back?_'

The cell phone trembled within the girl's grasp. She stared at it expectantly, holding her breath with each sluggish second. Desperate for a distraction, she threw open the metal door in front of her, revealing a locker plastered with pictures of a couple. Glittering stickers of hearts and rainbows and stars bordered the collection of photographs. To her, it was a display of her devotion and love. To anyone else, it was a shrine.

'_My heart aches without you! I'm too sad to go to class, Booboobear. I need your comfort._'

No response. The quiet hallway began to echo with soft footsteps.

"He doesn't answer your texts right away, does he?"

The girl spun around, her eyes twinkling with tears. Through a blurred vision, she identified her classmate. "Syaoran Li… what are you doing here?"

"That's not important right now." His lips curved into a dashing half-smile. He approached the tearful girl, examining her with concerned eyes. "Kisa, you look like you're about to cry."

The dejected girl remained silent. Like a bad habit, she checked her phone despite its lack of activity.

"I bet he doesn't always answer your calls, either," Syaoran continued, watching as Kisa's fingers typed out another pathetic, heartache-filled text message. The fingers stopped as Syaoran's sentence ended. She looked up at him and he saw the pain reflected in her eyes. Syaoran lifted a hand to rest it upon the girl's shoulder. "You know… if we were together, I wouldn't miss a beat when it'd come to answering your texts and calls."

Kisa drew away from his hand; but in the way she held her breath it was quite obvious that his touch had an effect on her. "Oh?" She eyed him curiously. "What makes you say that?"

"You really don't know?"

"Don't know what?"

"How gorgeous you are, that's what." In fact, Kisa was a rather plain girl— almond-shaped eyes, a round face, dark hair— but Syaoran expertly masked the insincerity in his words. Kisa's eyebrows rose in surprise at his reply and even more so as his face neared hers. She felt her knees nearly give out beneath her as she sensed his warm breath lingering at her neck.

Syaoran's face continued to move toward her, and this time Kisa didn't step back. Instead, she watched his lips. They looked so full, so smooth, so _inviting_…

"Kisa, you deserve someone better than that douchebag." His hand rose again and he pushed a lock of black hair from her cheek. Kisa appeared as though air wouldn't pass through her lungs anymore. Syaoran's hand traveled across her cheek to her chin, gently using a single finger to tilt it upward. His eyes gleamed charmingly as they locked against her yearning gaze, and his silken voice lowered to a whisper. "You deserve the world."

Kisa's cell phone clattered to the ground as she seized him in a fierce kiss. Syaoran internally patted himself on the back. Was this a new record? It hadn't even been fifteen minutes.

"_Kisa_!" An infuriated voice bounced off the hallway walls and the girl hastily broke away from Syaoran. Her eyes widened with fright as she noticed her boyfriend angrily storming toward them. He stopped several feet away from them, shaking with fury and pointing accusingly. "How _could_ you?"

"Kenji! I…" Kisa trailed off as her back pressed against the line of lockers. Her voice trembled and her eyes welled with tears once more. "I didn't… I didn't mean to!"

Syaoran calmly stepped aside as Kenji exploded with rage.

"Bullshit!" the boyfriend yelled, his hands balling into fists. "This could have easily been prevented! I don't care _who_ tries to get in your pants— _you_ clearly don't have any self-control!"

"No, that's not it! I do have self-control! I don't know what came over me! Kenji, you know I love—"

"Don't you dare say it. You said I was your _one and only_…" Kenji's anger began to dissipate but the heated tension still hung in the air. "I guess I was a fool for believing you."

Tears spilled down Kisa's face, hot and relentless. "I meant that. I really did—"

Kenji held up a hand, silencing her. He shook his head in disappointment. "I can't be with you if you're swayed this easily." He stared at her with darkening eyes. "It's over."

"Kenji—"

"I don't want to hear it."

The locker door slammed shut, concealing the glitzy collage of the formerly-happy couple. Kisa sobbed harder, hiding her face in her hands as she ran off. Several seconds passed by before the two teenaged boys exchanged glances. After the brief moment of silence, Kenji's glare faded into an expression of pure amusement.

"Damn, you're pretty good." Kenji laughed.

"I know," Syaoran replied, his voice evidently cocky. "But your performance was brilliant, too. Some guys aren't as convincing."

"Well, the guys on the basketball team were right about you." Kenji reached into his pocket, fishing out a wad of bills. He handed them to Syaoran and continued speaking as his classmate counted the money. "You're freakin' pro at setting up the perfect breakup scenario. I seriously could _not_ stand her anymore— and her stupid nicknames for me… Honeybun, Booboobear, Lovemonkey, Bubblebutt, etcetera. Oh, god. Every time I tried breaking things off, she wouldn't have it. She was always in denial. I'm so glad I was told about your business."

"Yeah, that's usually the case." Syaoran pocketed the cash, his mind reviewing his past cases. Clinginess, paranoia, obsessiveness… these were, more often than not, the main traits possessed by the girls he was paid to seduce. This way, the breakup would be the girls' fault. This way, boys could keep a clean reputation and avoid the titles of "jerk," "asshole," and lastly, "heartbreaker."

The final title belonged to Syaoran, and he was perfectly fine with that— as long as he was getting paid to be one.

"And how she would call me every hour, on the hour… I wanted to die…"

He didn't realize that Kenji was still ranting about Kisa, but pretending to listen was yet another one of Syaoran's gifts. He nodded, as if he could relate to Kenji's buildup of annoyance.

"You're a free man now, Kenji!" Syaoran told him, shaking hands with the newly-single boy. "It was a pleasure doing business with you."

Kenji let out a whoop of happiness as he turned around to return to class, rejoicing about finally being able to change his relationship status on Facebook. Syaoran let out a sigh of content, wetting his lips. It was nothing short of what he had endured before, but they were a little sore. Kisa was yet another nibbler.

All of a sudden, Syaoran's ears perked. He slowed his breathing and listened— Was someone watching him? His gaze wandered down the hall, but he saw nothing. If he had looked a few seconds earlier, however, he would have caught a glimpse of auburn hair and a pink backpack. He crooked an eyebrow, dismissed the thought, and decided to walk to History.

The amber-eyed heartthrob sauntered to the far end of the classroom and took a seat.

"You're late."

Surprisingly, these curt words did not belong to Syaoran's teacher. They were soft and high-pitched. Fragments of a melody, Syaoran thought, but he would never admit this.

"What's it to you?" Syaoran muttered over his shoulder.

"I know what you've been up to, Syaoran."

"You don't know what you're talking about."

The chalk scraping against the board halted. A stern voice sounded from the front of the room. "Syaoran Li. Sakura Kinomoto. Please stop talking back there. I would expect Tomoeda's top two students to be more attentive than this."

"Sorry, Mr. Tohno," Syaoran and Sakura apologized in unison.

"Meet me at the amphitheater before lunch ends," Syaoran hissed at Sakura. He heard a tiny grunt of affirmation.

* * *

"Food, food, food!"

Sakura grasped Tomoyo's hand, excitedly dragging her toward the cafeteria. The dark-haired beauty let out an exasperated sigh but smiled fondly nonetheless.

"Sakura, are you on your period or something? You seem to be more excited about eating…"

They added to the growing line of ravenous teenagers. Sakura reddened and huffily replied, "I'm not! I'm just in a good mood." She reached for a tray and an empty plate before casting her best friend a side glance. "Besides, you would know if I was on my period, considering our cycles are in synch."

Tomoyo merely giggled. The line inched forward. Sakura's stomach grumbled and she continued to talk listlessly. "Plus, I'm not acting pissed and paranoid about_ leaking_." She sighed. "You're so lucky that your flow isn't as heavy as mine!"

"Sakura…"

"What?"

Under her breath, Tomoyo mumbled, "Syaoran's on lunch duty."

In the crevice within her chest, Sakura's heart nearly popped in embarrassment. The rosy color drained from her cheeks as she faced Syaoran behind the food selection. He was smirking at her knowingly, wielding a scoopful of mashed potatoes. As if the situation couldn't get any worse, Sakura's stomach emitted yet another loud and unattractive gurgle.

Sakura willed herself to become transparent, but she remained as visible as ever. Struggling to maintain an unfazed appearance, she simply lifted her tray. "Just pile it on."

"Here, you can have an extra serving," Syaoran teased, plopping several mounds of the creamy substance onto her plate. "Is that _heavy_ enough for you?"

_Damn you, Syaoran Li._

"Yes," Sakura replied monotonously, rolling her eyes.

"You should move. Your gluttony is holding up the line."

_Damn you to hell._

Without another word, Sakura rushed through the rest of the lunch line. She slammed her tray upon the closest vacant table and promptly dropped onto one of the chairs. Ignoring her food, she bent down and pressed her forehead against the edge of the table in humiliation.

"I was such a_ dummy_ in front of him!"

Tomoyo joined Sakura at the table, patiently waiting for her companion to continue. She knew this girl well, and she understood that the outburst was only the beginning.

"And… and he's such a jerk!"

"Oh, Sakura," Tomoyo sighed, piercing a straw into her tiny carton of apple juice. "Since when did you start caring about what Syaoran thinks of you?"

Sakura slowly lifted her head from the table; her face was etched with dread. "He caught me talking about my _menstrual cycle_, Tomoyo. Blood in my panties." With that, Tomoyo nearly choked on her juice. "Not exactly the most appetizing subject for lunch."

"You know, you're right." Tomoyo cleared her throat, patting her chest as she tried to breath normally. She wiped the excess juice from the corner of her pink lips.

"Now, I'm too depressed to eat," Sakura grumbled, pushing away her tray of food. "He's going to be mocking me for weeks!" She deepened her voice and scrunched up her face. "'_Is that heavy enough for you?_' Har har, I'm Syaoran and I think I'm the funniest guy in the world, but I'm actually an annoying piece of sh—"

"Calm down, Sakura," Tomoyo began to reason with her with a steady, tranquil voice. The bulging vein near her friend's temple seemed to be on the verge of exploding. "Try not to stress over it."

"Okay, okay." In an attempt to calm herself, Sakura inhaled sharply through her nose and exhaled slowly through her gritted teeth. After a moment, Sakura placed her elbows on the table and held her chin in her hands, grinning delightedly and devilishly. It was a frightening combination, Tomoyo had to admit. "Besides, I have a plan to put him in his place."

"Hm? And what does this plan entail?" Curiosity began to sparkle in Tomoyo's silvery eyes.

"Let's just say that I found out something pretty _scandalous_ about Syaoran Li… and I'm going to use it to my advantage."

"Sakura, you're so strange." But Tomoyo's tone was lighthearted. She reached her fork across the table, aiming for Sakura's untouched macaroni and cheese.

"Hey!" Sakura smacked Tomoyo's wrist. In the voice of a selfish child, she whined, "Mine!"

Tomoyo raised an eyebrow, retracting her utensil. "You said you weren't hungry anymore!"

"I changed my mind."

"Goodness. You might as well be on your period."

Sakura shoved a forkful of macaroni into her mouth and chewed noisily, ignoring Tomoyo. "Cheese, cheese, cheese…"

* * *

The amphitheater was often the designated location for many of Tomoeda High's social and academic events, sparked to life by the activity of the student body. But on this particular day, it was merely a slope of stone stairs stretching around a field. Syaoran leaned against one of the metal railings, staring into the distance, his hair tousling in the wind. As Sakura approached him, she surveyed the eighteen-year-old's appearance: bronze eyes glazed with laid-back confidence, his hair a sleek chestnut mop, an effortlessly attractive slouch. No wonder why he was paid to—

Sakura pulled back the reigns on her thought process. Externally, sure, Syaoran was easy to stare at. But internally, he was a prick. She often fantasized about punching him square in the face and getting away with it.

Their eyes met.

"So, tell me, Sakura." Syaoran was not one to waste time when it came to these matters. His neutral voice floated to her in the light breeze. "What have I been up to?"

"Don't play dumb. I know you run your own stupid, secret business in this school. It took me a week to find out, but still… it's such an immoral thing to do! I'm going to have to report you to the principal. I'm sure he'd _love_ to hear about this."

Syaoran rose an eyebrow, and Sakura couldn't help but feel a little defeated. She had harbored a slight hope that he would be infuriated at her discovery, but he remained as calm and unnerved as a still ocean.

"Playing snitch, huh? That's low, even for you."

Sakura felt a tingling heat rise to her cheeks; he was causing her skin to itch with annoyance. "Someone who goes around taking money to break hearts is low! You shouldn't—" Her response remained incomplete as her eyes caught sight of a bothersome scene beneath the stairs. Syaoran curiously followed the line of her vision… and he smirked. In the lower corner of the amphitheater, two of their classmates were engaged in a playful rendezvous, completely unaware that they were being watched. The girl threw her arms around the shoulders of the boy, giggling shrilly.

"You have a thing for Eriol, don't you?" Syaoran asked bluntly, eyeing the spectacled boy below them.

"What…? No." Sakura bit her lower lip, her eyes indicating otherwise. Syaoran couldn't help but sigh at how painfully obvious she was being.

"Oh, please. You're practically salivating over the sight of him, and I can tell you want to gouge Aiko's eyes out." Before Sakura could reply, Syaoran positioned himself in front of her earthy gaze, blocking her view of Eriol and his lady friend. "Then this piece of information should _delight_ you: He recently asked me to help him break up with Aiko."

Unable to resist the topic, Sakura blurted, "Did he really?" She paused. "Well, she_ is _kind of annoying…"

"Yeah, almost as annoying as you." Syaoran suppressed a snicker as he earned a very green glare of death. "But it's too bad I'm going to have to dissolve my business…"

As Syaoran trailed off, Sakura narrowed her eyes. "I see where this is going."

"Then you're not as dumb as you seem! Listen. Report me, and Eriol will probably be stuck with that Aiko chick for the rest of the school year. That's six whole months. We'll graduate and you'll never see him again. But if you keep my secret…"

"You'll help Eriol break up with her, because you're evil like that," Sakura finished for him, crossing her arms over chest.

"And I'll make sure they'll never get back together. Thus, increasing your chances with Prince Charming." His eyes lit up with slight relief as Sakura began thinking it over. He asked, "Do we have a deal?"

A sigh tumbled out of Sakura's mouth and she shrugged. "Yeah, yeah. Sure." She blinked as Syaoran held out a hand. She took it, he shook it— his skin was warm. "Deal."

"Well, I should get going now. I have business matters to attend to, if you know what I mean."

"Whatever."

"Oh, and Sakura?" Syaoran's voice was filled with artificial sweetness. Sakura wanted to gag when he batted his lashes at her. He was straight-up taunting her!

"_What_?" The air around the auburn-haired girl began to vibrate with irritation.

"You've got some cheese on your chin."

**

* * *

A/N: **I feel a little out of my element. I've grown accustomed to writing darker, angsty stories for Kingdom Hearts, but I've been wanting to try something new! So, how'd you guys like it? If there is any confusion regarding the storyline, please don't hesitate to ask. Basically, Syaoran gets paid to help desperate boyfriends break up with their annoying girlfriends. And if you've experienced/observed high school relationships, you'll know that there are a lot of relationships like that, haha. Now we just need to see how Syaoran and Sakura's deal plays out… hmm. I'd love for you to let me know what you think in the form of a review. :) I'd really appreciate it, but if you want to remain incognito, that's cool as well! Chapter 2 is already finished - it'll be released soon! This story will not disappoint.


	2. the dramatic duo

**Gallery of Broken Hearts**  
(02: the dramatic duo)

Syaoran's fingers quickly slid the buttons of his shirt into their rightful slits. A burst of pride swelled within him at the additional weight of bills folded in the back pocket of his jeans. Just a few moments ago, he had been engaged in the type of behavior most people looked down upon. But for Syaoran, this was simply another typical day. Another day, another deal, another broken heart, and another load of cash.

"I still don't understand how you can live with yourself, hurting girls like that," said a voice, and it gave the heartbreaker a little start. He thought he had been left alone since everyone was supposed to be in class right now, but apparently he had thought wrong. Syaoran turned around to see Sakura standing several feet away from him, her hands positioned at her hips. She was slowly shaking her head in disappointment.

"I'm sure you don't understand many things," Syaoran replied carelessly, patting her head as he walked past her. The girl delivered him a sour look, but it was one he didn't receive due to his lack of attentiveness. Without looking back, he asked, "Why aren't you in History class?"

"I went to the restroom," said Sakura, smoothing her hair back into place. The action had been in vain— her chin-length, layered hair was a natural mess, though it somewhat flattered her. It was one of the only things she had in common with Syaoran aside from smarts, as far as she knew. Catching up with her classmate, she continued. "Michiyo is crying her eyes out in one of the stalls."

"Girls tend to do that after they're broken up with." Syaoran's indifferent answer caused Sakura to sigh.

"She's a friend of mine."

"Oh," Syaoran responded plainly, giving a shrug. He glanced down at the girl next to him; he was a full head taller than her. She responded to his nonchalant expression with a look of disapproval. Syaoran quipped, "Is this the part where I apologize about what I did, even though it has nothing to do with you?"

"Never mind."

"How nice of you to join us, Li and Kinomoto," Mr. Tohno droned from the chalkboard as the pair entered the classroom side by side. Their fellow students exchanged amused glances and chuckled lowly at their sarcastic teacher's next words: "Tell me, is this a sign of a blossoming romance? You two seem to be spending more time together."

"Trust me, it isn't, and we haven't been," Syaoran said, flashing an amiable smile at the entire room. He was able to maintain an impressive amount of charisma even in awkward situations, and it caused Sakura to bristle with annoyance. Unlike Syaoran, she was a bumbling and clumsy individual.

But Mr. Tohno had spoken the truth: Over the course of the week, Sakura and Syaoran had gone from spending absolutely no time together to speaking on a daily basis. No, it wasn't because they enjoyed each other's company— that was far from accurate. In actuality, they were paranoid about the other not keeping their end of the deal. They were watching each other like hawks.

Sakura promptly pulled out her notebook, textbook, and writing utensils after returning to her desk. Syaoran took his sweet time retrieving his materials, demonstrating yet another aspect of his character that Sakura disliked. He was lazy, but achieving high marks seemed like child's play for him. As for Sakura, it had cost many sleepless nights of studying and countless tutoring sessions for her to earn her current rank.

"We've already split into partners for the in-class assignment," said Mr. Tohno. "So you two will have to work together."

Sakura and Syaoran glanced at each other before shrugging simultaneously.

"Number forty-seven is B," Syaoran mumbled, quickly marking down the answers on the worksheet intended for Sakura and himself. "Forty-eight, E… forty-nine, A… fifty is obviously C… alright, we're done."

Sakura stared, dumbfounded, at the boy sitting across from her. He had completed a fifty-question assessment in only fifteen minutes, all by himself.

"You didn't even let me read the questions!" Sakura complained.

"Oh, quit whining," Syaoran retorted before sliding the paper in her direction. "If it'd make you happy to check my flawless answers, then go ahead."

Sakura snatched the paper from the table and skimmed through it— Everything seemed right. She set it down without a word, and held back a huff as Syaoran grinned triumphantly.

"I can't believe you're tied with me for valedictorian," said Syaoran. He and Sakura had been competing for the top-ranked student of Tomoeda High School practically the moment they had first stepped foot on campus. But their techniques of going about achieving the title of valedictorian contrasted greatly. Syaoran was naturally intelligent, but Sakura normally had to study her heart out in order to perform well in her classes.

Sakura simply smiled. "Actually, I'm going to be a few points ahead of you soon."

"Very funny."

"I'm serious."

Still refusing to believe her, Syaoran's eyes narrowed. "You're serious?"

"Yup," Sakura nodded, then giggled. "We're only tied _for now_. But after this year is over, I'll be dominating on top."

Syaoran was too taken aback to make a mockery of her words, which screamed innuendo. "How is that possible?"

"_You_ made it possible— by making a stupid academic decision to enroll in only five classes this semester."

"Oh, come on. Having a free period is one of the best perks about senior year."

"Not arguing with you on that one. But I'm more concerned about graduating at the top of our class." Sakura smiled adorably while Syaoran continued to glare at her. "So while your lazy butt is making out with your _victims _during sixth period, I'll be earning some extra points in an arts class."

Syaoran sighed and leaned back in his chair, eyeing Sakura mischievously. "Oh, you poor thing. I didn't know you had trouble coloring between the lines."

Sakura stared at him coldly. "For your information, it's Drama. And it's not an easy A."

"Drama, huh? That's perfect for you, considering you're a drama queen and all."

"Shut up!" Sakura's smacked a fist against her desk, her voice raising a decibel. "I am _not_ a drama queen!"

Suddenly, all eyes were on Sakura.

"See what I mean?" Syaoran told her in the smug tone Sakura abhorred. "You're an attention whore."

"At least I'm not a manwhore."

* * *

There was a certain classroom in Tomoeda High School's campus with a design entirely different from the rest. It had black walls, black chairs, black wooden boxes scattered across a black floor, and absolutely no windows. Once the bell rang for final period of the day, students began to trickle into this dark, seemingly dreary room. Amongst them were Sakura and Tomoyo.

"Last class!" Sakura cheered, stretching her arms overhead as she settled into her seat. Although she was eager to finish off her day, she didn't mind this period. They had only been in their second semester for a week, but Sakura had a knack for acting and Intermediate Drama had easily become her favorite part of her schedule.

The typical "front" of a classroom, where students would normally direct their attention, did not exist. Instead, the chairs were arranged in a cozy circle. In the middle of the circle of students stood Ms. Zuki.

Their teacher was a rather eclectic woman with red frizzy hair and vibrant goldenrod eyes. She flung her arms in the air and exaggerated her hand movements as she informed the class of news and announcements.

"… And remember, my little doves: Today is the last day to switch in or out of Drama, but I'm fairly sure we won't have anyone retreating…"

"I wonder what we're doing today," Tomoyo said airily, momentarily resting the side of her head against Sakura's shoulder. She smiled dreamily. "I hope we'll do some romantic scenes eventually."

"You're correct, Ms. Daidouji!" tittered a voice, and Tomoyo jumped. Ms. Zuki had heard her. The enthusiastic woman turned to the rest of the class. "We are going to be discussing our final projects today. Each one of you will participate in a scene taken from various romantic plays. I know, I know— 'It's the beginning of the semester and we're already talking about our final projects?' That's because I want to give you enough time to practice your skits during these next six months, so we can all have remarkable performances on finals day."

As Ms. Zuki continued to rave about the project, Sakura sensed a new presence beside her. In the way the tiny hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, she immediately knew who it was.

"What are you doing here?" Sakura hissed, casting Syaoran a sidelong glance. "Shouldn't you be frisking some girl in a dark corner right about now?"

"Nah," Syaoran replied, slouching in his seat. "I decided to transfer into Drama. Did you really think I was just going to let you slide past me by a few points? You're not beating me for valedictorian."

Sakura fumed, and Syaoran teasingly slid an arm against the back of her chair. Not wanting to cause a scene— in Drama, of all places, who knew?— Sakura reluctantly allowed him to keep it there, but a flurry of death threats spun in her mind.

"Besides," Syaoran continued under his breath, a wolfish smile playing at his lips, "I don't need a free period for any sort of sexual stimulation. Maybe we'll get paired up for a kissing scene."

He winked at her. Sakura reddened and shot him a disgusted look.

"Tomoyo, would you happen to have a bucket? I need to vomit my organs out."

Tomoyo chuckled quietly into her hand.

"Alright!" Ms. Zuki clapped her hands together once, snapping everybody to attention. "I'm going to need all the male students in this room to write their names on a slip of paper. Once that is done, I'll dump it all in a hat so the girls can randomly choose their partner."

"Hey," Syaoran jabbed a finger into Sakura's side, causing her to twitch with surprise and discomfort. "Do you have paper?"

"No," Sakura lied.

"Here you go," Tomoyo said kindly, pulling a blank sheet of paper from her blue notebook and reaching over Sakura to hand it to Syaoran. Sakura grumbled incoherently in annoyance.

"Thanks, Daidouji, you're a doll." He paused. "How about a pen?"

"For goodness' sake!" Sakura spat, tossing her pink pen onto Syaoran's lap. "Someone as unprepared as you shouldn't even be in the running for valedictorian."

"I can't believe you're being so bitter about that," Syaoran cackled, ripping a piece from the paper and scribbling his name onto it. He hopped up from his seat to hand it to Ms. Zuki.

"Now, the moment of truth," the teacher bellowed, holding out a fedora filled to the brim with folded sheets of paper. She extended it to each girl in the class, and destiny did the rest.

Excitement began to swarm within Sakura's stomach as the moment for her to choose her partner drew closer. She nearly shoved her hand right through the fedora's bottom when it was offered before her face. Sakura withdrew her hand from the hat in anticipation and nearly tore the paper in half upon reading it. The slanted name was written in pink ink.

"What does it say?" Syaoran asked, dreading the girl's answer by the traces of nausea crawling across her features.

"It says…" Sakura stared stoically at the paper between her fingers and solemnly stated, "Stupid fathead."

Syaoran rolled his eyes. "AKA, me?"

"You think so, too?" Sakura smirked at him. Syaoran swiftly snagged the paper from Sakura's grasp and stared down at his own name. _Great._ It wasn't as if they hadn't worked together before, but performing a romantic scene would be absolutely chaotic. They were hardly civil to one another, so acting as though they cared about each other seemed completely out of the question. Syaoran couldn't help but wonder if he had jinxed himself with his earlier taunt regarding becoming Sakura's partner.

"Really, what were the chances?" Syaoran scoffed, discarding the paper. He turned his eyes toward the heavens. "It's like somebody wants us to strangle each other to death."

Sakura's eyes darted frantically across the room in search for their teacher. "Maybe we can comp—"

"I don't want to hear any complaints!" Ms. Zuki called out to the class in a firm voice. Sakura wrinkled her nose in near submission before a brilliant idea hit her.

"Hello, best friend in the entire universe!" Sakura beamed at Tomoyo and affectionately cuddled against her. "Wanna do me a favor?"

"No, I will not trade with you," Tomoyo replied, obviously content with her match. Her eyes glittered at the two grouches next to her. "You know, it's a shame you guys don't get along. You two would produce beautiful offspring!"

They stared at her incredulously.

"I wouldn't have babies with him even if the fate of mankind depended on it!" Sakura declared, crossing her arms and turning away defiantly. Her cheeks were flaming.

"Good," Syaoran muttered, "because I'd rather not waste my sperm on you."

Tomoyo was in stitches. "Ohohoho!"

"She's just eating this up, isn't she?" Syaoran commented disdainfully. Sakura nodded in exasperation. She loved Tomoyo with every fiber of her being, but sometimes the girl's odd taste in humor was simply too much. However, she understood why Tomoyo had the ability to put up with Syaoran; she was a very patient girl. Sakura had grown very grateful for that aspect of her best friend over their years of friendship.

"As you all know," Ms. Zuki resumed her lecture, fluttering her lashes, "I am a very romantic person. So don't be surprised if I use all of you to bring my romantic fantasies to life!"

The students stared at the deranged woman with crooked eyebrows and unblinking stares of disbelief.

"Isn't there a law against that?" a student asked, causing the entire room to erupt with laughter.

"Raise your hand if you just transferred in today," Ms. Zuki said, and a few hands lifted into the air. Her eyes landed on Syaoran. "You, there. Come on up!"

Syaoran obliged, walking to the center of the room.

"Name?" asked the teacher.

"Syaoran Li." He suddenly felt a familiar heat radiating from several pairs of feminine gazes. It was a sensation he had grown used to, and it was something he wasn't afraid to admit: Girls were always undressing him with their eyes.

"Mr. Li," began Ms. Zuki, "You will be demonstrating the trust exercise."

"As if he could ever be trusted," blurted out Sakura, and she hated herself for not refraining from saying it, because now the attention was on her.

Ms. Zuki eyed the blushing girl with a wide smile, and beckoned her with a single finger. "Please join us at the center of the room, Sakura. Since you feel the need to criticize Syaoran, you might as well subject yourself to the same treatment." As Sakura trudged to the middle of the class in embarrassment, Ms. Zuki continued. "Actors will always face criticism, regardless of the quality of their performance. There will always be someone out there, ready to sink their teeth in."

Nobody really knew what the woman was speaking about— then again, nobody ever truly did.

Sakura couldn't help but think that Syaoran's earlier comment had been completely correct: It was almost as if somebody wanted them to torture each other, considering how often they were partnered up.

"You two are aware of how the trust exercise works, yes?" Ms. Zuki asked the pair, and she grinned in spite of their unenthusiastic nods. "Then go ahead and explain it to the rest of the class."

Syaoran and Sakura's answers came out in a jumble.

"It's when one person stands in front of the other—"

"—and the person in the front falls back—"

"—and the person in the back catches that person—"

"—having faith that the person behind them won't let them fall—"

"—but knowing Syaoran, I'm probably going to end up with my skull cracked wide open."

Ms. Zuki blinked. "Ah… yes… thank you for the splendid explanation, my bunnies. Would you be so kind as to demonstrate this exercise for us?"

Sakura bit the insides of her cheek; the last person she ever wanted to fall against was standing right behind her. After a moment or two of the girl's stalling, Syaoran told her, "This isn't going to give you a cracked skull, okay?" He smirked. "A concussion, maybe. But not a broken skull."

"Oh, whatever," Sakura grumbled, and held her breath as she prepared herself to fall. The moment she felt herself tipping back, there was a little lurch in her heart. She stumbled and caught herself.

"Aha!" Ms. Zuki gestured at Sakura's falter. "This is a prime example of _not _having faith in your partner. Sakura clearly does not believe Syaoran will catch her."

Syaoran's eyes glistened with false disappointment, and it caused most of the girls in the room to coo and warble affectionately.

"Perhaps you should try this with another partner, Syaoran," suggested Ms. Zuki, clearly amused. She moved her bright gaze around the black room. "Any takers?"

Thirteen hands shot up. Sakura rolled her eyes.

* * *

"How many freakin' keys do you have?" Syaoran groaned impatiently, shifting his weight from leg to leg as he watched Sakura fumble with her keychain. There were at least seven keys attached to it.

Sakura narrowed down her collection of keys to two that appeared nearly identical. She had been living at the same house since childhood, yet it was still a challenge for her to keep track of each key's function.

"Hmm… no, that's not…" She glanced at the fidgeting Syaoran and sighed. "Can you stop that? You look like a little boy doing the pee-pee dance."

"_Pee-pee dance_?" Syaoran brought a hand to his face and laughed until tears began to gather at his eyes. "Oh, man. Now I _do_ need to pee."

In spite of their desire to be away from each other at all times, Syaoran and Sakura were determined to ace Intermediate Drama. Due to this shared goal, they had agreed to start practicing their scene as soon as possible, and the chosen location for their rehearsals was Sakura's house. Sakura exhaled breathily in frustration before finally seeking out the proper key.

"I wonder if anyone's home," Sakura mumbled to herself, pushing the front door open and sliding her shoes off. Once Syaoran followed suit, they walked into the living room.

A tall man with graying hair and broad shoulders occupied one of the couches, reading a newspaper. Syaoran didn't think Sakura bore any significant resemblance to this man, causing him to wonder if she had inherited most of her mother's genes.

Fujitaka Kinomoto peered over the rim of his glasses and smiled at his daughter. He set down the classifieds and asked, "How was school, Sakura?"

"Hi, Daddy! School was good." Sakura greeted her father cheerily, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and giving him a light peck on the cheek. Syaoran observed the scene before him with a sort of low-key fascination; he had never seen this sweet side of Sakura, and it was rather funny and unfamiliar to him.

"I'm glad," said Fujitaka, then he nodded at Syaoran with kind eyes. "Who's your friend?"

"My _classmate_, Syaoran Li," Sakura replied dully as she drew away from her father. "We're not hanging out, we're just going to practice a scene for Drama."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Kinomoto," Syaoran smiled and firmly shook the man's hand, causing Sakura's brow to lift in surprise. But her slight shock toward Syaoran's charm left as soon as she remembered how great of a bullshitter the boy was. He wasn't going to fool her; she knew exactly how she worked, or so she thought. Sakura's bitter thoughts were broken as her father began musing aloud.

"Syaoran Li… Why does that name ring a bell?" Fujitaka's questioning expression suddenly lit up, as though he had been struck by a revelation. "Ah, I remember now!" He looked at Sakura with absolute amusement. "Is this the same Syaoran Li you had a crush on back in elementary school?"

The room fell silent, and Fujitaka was the only one grinning.

"I don't know where you got that from, Daddy," Sakura responded slowly and gravely, her devastated, pink face tattling on her. "But that is _not_ true." She glanced at Syaoran, whose eyes had widened a bit, and repeated, "It's not true. Don't listen to him. He's old and becoming very, very, very senile."

"I'm not that old," replied Fujitaka, still smiling in spite of Sakura's demeaning comment. He leaned back on the couch and opted to take a lovely stroll down memory lane, much to his daughter's immense dismay. "I also remember the days you'd come home bawling because of the 'Syaoran-Stupid-Fathead' boy who would always score higher than you on math tests. It was adorable!"

Syaoran raised an eyebrow. How long had he been a "stupid fathead" to her, really? Suddenly, his mind projected the image of a seven-year-old Sakura sobbing and blubbering about missing one question less than him on a simple multiplication test. It caused him to smile slightly with nostalgia.

Sakura was nearly beet-red at this point. "Math isn't my strong point, y'know."

"I remember those days," Syaoran inputted as Sakura basked in embarrassment. "I'd always be disappointed whenever Sakura beat me in spelling tests, so I guess we're even."

Fujitaka's eyes glinted with pride. "Yes. She's a smart one, isn't she?"

Sakura anticipated Syaoran's answer; he was obviously going to agree in order to keep up with his polite act, but she could tell that Syaoran was most likely internally scoffing at the question.

"The smartest," Syaoran admitted, and there was no trace of dishonesty in his voice whatsoever. Sakura almost believed him. Almost.

"Well, no more lollygagging! It's time to practice!" Sakura proclaimed, grabbing the collar of Syaoran's shirt and nearly dragging him upstairs. She shouted over her shoulder, "We're going to be in my room, Daddy!"

As soon as Fujitaka was out of earshot, Sakura began griping under her breath. Syaoran started to chuckle as they entered Sakura's bedroom, and for a brief, dark moment, Sakura wondered if she could get away with murder.

"Your room is so messy," Syaoran criticized, examining his surroundings. The first thing he noticed was the bed (naturally), which was unmade and laden with lacy pink pillows. The lavender walls were covered in countless photographs of Sakura and her friends and family. A collection of stuffed toys dotted across the floor of her room. There was a pink trash can in the corner, but the candy wrappers and balled-up pieces of paper seemed to sit around it instead of within it, as though Sakura had tried tossing them in the bin and failed miserably.

Sakura stood in front of her computer desk, which overflowed with papers for homework assignments and the like. Sparkling stickers of cute Sanrio characters danced around the screen of her desktop.

In lieu of a proper comeback, Sakura retorted, "As if yours is any better."

"Actually, my room is very tidy."

"That's probably because nothing interesting happens in there." When Sakura didn't get a rise out of him, she merely shrugged and began clicking around on her computer. "Well, Ms. Zuki said that she'd e-mail everyone their skits, so hopefully it's in my inbox by now. Oh, yay! It is!"

Once the file finished downloading, Sakura eagerly read the scene.

"Oh, it's so heartbreakingly romantic." She sighed wistfully. "It's a shame I'm doing this scene with you. What a waste."

Syaoran glared at her before hovering over her shoulder and quickly scanning the words on the screen. "You call_ this_ romantic? The guy in this skit is an idiot."

"Then you shouldn't have much trouble getting into character, idiot."

Syaoran straightened his posture, hooking his thumbs into the belt loops of his jeans. "Are we going to do this or what?"

"Fine, fine," said Sakura, printing two copies of the scene and handing one to Syaoran. He let out a breath of contempt as he skimmed the script for a second time.

"You should start with your monologue bit," suggested Sakura, moving to stand in front of him. "Once you have that down, the rest will be easy since they're shorter lines."

Syaoran nodded, receiving Sakura's advice without any smart aleck comments. He glanced at the script again. They had been assigned to play the roles of a troubled couple by the names of Kei and Megumi. There were two parts in the script in which each character had a monologue, and Kei's seemed to be the more emotional one.

Taking a deep breath, Syaoran began.

"Go ahead. Hate my guts. I deserve it. I'm scum. But when I'm with you, you have an effect on me like no other woman. You…" Syaoran paused and looked up from his paper, gazing right into Sakura's eyes. "You make me want to projectile vomit."

He burst out laughing. Sakura grabbed a pillow from her bed and smacked him upside the head.

"Syaoran! That's not the line!"

"I can't help it! This scene is so stupid."

"You should be better at this," Sakura growled. "I'm sure you say stupid things to your _clients'_ girlfriends all the time."

"Hey, we're getting out of character," Syaoran said, finally overcoming his laughter. He reached out a single finger and poked Sakura in the stomach. She promptly buckled over and squeaked, biting back a giggle.

"Could it be?" gasped Syaoran, a hand flying to his mouth, which was agape in feigned shock. "Have I discovered Sakura's ultimate ticklish spot?"

"No," Sakura replied, narrowing her eyes at him whilst backing away. Syaoran grinned deviously and directed his outstretched hands toward her, his curling fingers appearing claw-like. "Don't you dare touch me, Syaoran!"

Her warning came a moment too late. As soon as Syaoran's fingers made contact with Sakura's belly, he pressed down and made wiggling motions against the fabric over her skin. Sakura exploded with uncontrollable laughter.

"S-stop!" Sakura cried out between giggles, her vision blurring over with tears. "Seriously, I-I'm going to— to— _pee or something_!"

In an attempt to force Syaoran to quit, Sakura grabbed his wrists, and they began to tussle with one another. Sakura's laughter weakened her even further, but she continued to struggle against him. Suddenly, their wrestling caused them to stumble and lose balance; Sakura felt herself falling back and Syaoran felt himself falling forward. Before it completely registered in their minds, the inevitable occurred: They collapsed onto the bed.

"Syaoran—" Sakura laughed, kicking at the boy on top of her and missing horribly. Tears trickled down her face. "Get! Off! Get off me!"

"So," began Syaoran, easily pinning her down with one hand and continuing to tickle her with the other. He was smiling triumphantly as she squirmed with laughter beneath him. "You had a crush on me in elementary school, huh?"

"Hell no!" Sakura shrieked, flailing around with a stupid smile on her aching face. "Guh! My cheeks are so sore!"

As Sakura let out a groan, the bedroom door swung open.

"Your cheeks are _what_?" bellowed a deep voice.

Touya Kinomoto stood at the threshold.

Sakura and Syaoran froze.

"Uh…" Sakura trailed off, and Syaoran scrambled away from her, tumbling to the floor in his frenzy. As Sakura sat up, Syaoran made a worried note of the girl's appearance: Her clothes were wrinkled and her disarrayed hair could definitely be misinterpreted as post-makeout hair… or worse. It didn't help that she had been struggling with breathing during her laughter, and was currently panting heavily.

"What the hell is going on." Touya's eyes were afire, and he was obviously too pissed to punctuate his words with a question mark. Syaoran understood; it wasn't a question, it was the beginning of a death threat.

"It's none of your business, Touya," Sakura retaliated, trying to look defiant, but she resembled a rag doll that had been tossed about. She glared at her older brother, who had the physical traits of a professional athlete, and who looked like he could break Syaoran in half at that very moment. "We're just practicing."

"What could you_ possibly _be practicing for?" demanded Touya, his eyes menacing slits. "Teenage pregnancy?"

From his spot on the floor, Syaoran dared not speak.

"Oh, puh-lease. We're doing a skit for Drama." It was clear Touya didn't believe her by the look of utmost skepticism on his face, so Sakura continued. "You don't have anything to worry about, Touya. Syaoran's not into girls, if you catch my drift."

Sakura aimed a brilliant smile at Syaoran, who silently replied with a look that read, 'Are you kidding me?'

"Really, now…" Touya lifted an eyebrow and turned to look at Syaoran, whose expression changed like lightning; he was now grinning idiotically and bobbling his head in agreement with Sakura.

"Mhm!" Sakura answered happily, reaching down and roughly patting Syaoran on the head. "Yup. He's as gay as they get. So maybe _you_ should try dating him!"

Touya deadpanned. "Don't even go there."

With that, he left— but not before shutting the door loudly behind him. After a few seconds of silence, Syaoran decided it was safe to speak.

"Just so you know… I'm probably the straightest guy you'll ever meet."

"Yeah. Sure you are."

Syaoran sighed and stood up. "I'd better head out. We can practice another time." His gaze wandered to Sakura's window, and he stared thoughtfully at the branches of the tree behind it. "I'm leaving through your window. I'd rather not face your bloodthirsty brother again."

"Is _widdle _Syaoran scared of my big, bad brother?" Sakura hopped to her feet and began raking a hand through her tangled hair. "You know, he probably thinks you're cute. Cute enough to eat, that is."

"Cute, hmm?" Syaoran smirked as he unlatched Sakura's window with a flick of his fingers. He glanced at her through the corner of his eye. "Where'd that thought come from?"

"Get out!" Sakura practically pushed him out the window, but Syaoran was too swift for her; he was out of her room and in the tree in a matter of seconds.

"You liked me in elementary school!"

Sakura stuck her tongue out at him and slammed the window closed.

* * *

**A/N: **Something I would like to address: I know Syaoran is typically portrayed as a "player" in AU fanfiction, but I promise the story gets better! Just wait and see~ anyway, I hope you guys liked the chapter, and I apologize for anything that was too cliché. I just couldn't help myself! Stay tuned; Syaoran's plan to make Eriol a single man is coming up next. In the meanwhile, let me know what you think. :)


	3. the next victim

**A/N:** I tweaked the previous chapter a bit, because after rereading it one more time I felt like it had way too many one-liners with potential. There aren't any significant changes, so choosing to not go back and read it again won't affect your understanding of the story. I just didn't want my effort for that chapter to seem lackluster. :D

Oh, and you may or may not have noticed that I removed 'Humor' from this story's genre and left it as 'Romance.' That's because this story won't turn out to be completely humorous. I've gotta add some drama, y'know. I don't want people to expect something continuously lighthearted and end up reading something totally serious and slightly depressing. xD Yes, I am hinting at future drama that will summon forth seriousness and slight depression. But not to worry. That's quite a while from now, and the story is still predominantly meant for humor.

With all that said, here comes Chapter 3!

* * *

**Gallery of Broken Hearts**  
(03: the next victim)

Sakura tugged at a cord hanging next to her window, causing a pair of cotton curtains to swish over the glass that had been shut in front of Syaoran's face. She turned to face her disorganized room with a half-frown— exactly_ what _had just happened in the past hour? A pleasant exchange between her rival and her father, tickle fights, wrestling on her bed, covering for Syaoran during the confrontation with Touya… A shiver of horror coursed through her body at the thought of becoming closer to Syaoran. That couldn't be it. Perhaps they were becoming more_ tolerable _of each other since the semester had started, but that was the most Sakura was willing accept.

As Sakura dropped herself to her bed and closed her eyes, her mind reeled back to the beginning of it all— the beginning of her hostile relations with Syaoran, that is. He had been a new student in her first grade class, a stout child with full cheeks, eyes like final autumn leaves, and hair resembling an unkempt mop. There was something about the cherub that made Sakura feel flushed and dizzy around him, but he had almost immediately begun overshadowing her outstanding academic performances. Little Sakura wouldn't have any of that, and young Syaoran welcomed the challenge. Flashbacks of tears streaming down her face due to any failed attempts to beat Syaoran flickered within Sakura's mind. She remembered throwing things, throwing tantrums, slandering Syaoran (with the vocabulary of a child, of course). No wonder why her father thought she liked him in her early youth. Little did he know that a rivalry had been born— a rivalry that continued all through elementary, middle, and high school.

She didn't have a crush on him, back then. Not at all. Not even when he had gone through his two growth spurts, both of which had worked very well in his favor once his "awkward phase" in middle school teetered to a halt. He had flourished through some sort of transitional stage during the summer before their first day at Tomoeda High, because he had walked right into freshman year as a dashing fellow, with piercing eyes and a wonderful build that hardly anybody recognized.

But her mind was digressing. Having feelings for Syaoran when she a little girl was far from the truth. Sakura reopened her eyes to stare at the ceiling. A dream catcher hung above her, twirling slowly like a question awaiting an answer.

Or did she?

Well, it didn't matter now. Besides, were childhood crushes meant to be taken seriously? The fact of the matter was that Sakura now had an undeniable lack of respect for Syaoran Li, because he didn't seem to have any respect for women in general.

And that was why she was absolutely certain she would never fall for him.

* * *

Aiko Takahashi was a frail-looking girl with eyes of a captivating color. It was almost as if somebody had seized a bit of the sky and filled two large orbs with the baby blue hue. Her skin was tan and freckled, and her hair rested upon her shoulders in rushing brown rivers. The one thing that turned many people off, however, was the high-pitched voice that rang out every time she opened her mouth.

"Baaaby!" Aiko exclaimed gleefully, leaping once and latching herself onto her boyfriend's back. Fortunately for Aiko, Eriol Hiiragizawa had a very toned frame and easily dealt with the sudden impact of additional weight. He grimaced beneath her grip, but forced a smile as he continued with the piggyback ride.

"Good morning, Aiko," Eriol said to her politely, mustering any sort of affection he had left for her.

"You didn't call earlier to say good morning!" Pouting, Aiko buried her face into the back of Eriol's neck. These words and actions would normally aggravate the average person, but Eriol was quite practiced in the area of patience. Aiko's screechy voice was right next to his ear now. "It made me sad!"

Eriol sighed inaudibly. "I'm sorry, I've been really tired because of our late-night phone calls, so I woke up late. I didn't have time to call you in the morning…"

"Oh." Disappointment filled Aiko's tone as she slid off Eriol's back and began walking next to him. She stared wistfully at her boyfriend, admiring his prince-like features: Sleek, dark hair, grayish blue eyes, an angled face. The only detail ruining the look of royalty was those pesky glasses. Aiko wished the boy would order a prescription of contacts. "I didn't know I was being such a burden."

"You're not a burden," Eriol told her sternly, momentarily stopping to stare down at her.

Aiko's face filled with joy once more. "You're so sweet!" she gushed, wrapping her arms around the boy's midsection and squeezing mercilessly. Eriol shut his eyes and endured the pain. He hadn't realized how strong such a small girl could be.

"Anyway, I've got to get to class now!" chirped Aiko, finally pulling away. As she pranced off, she blew a kiss at him. "I love you, babe!"

She disappeared amidst the crowd of students. Eriol sighed again, and this time he didn't bother to restrain its volume.

"She really is a burden," said a voice that was not Eriol's, and Syaoran appeared next to his exhausted peer. Eriol lifted a brow. Syaoran Li always seemed to have a way of slithering about in a swift, furtive sort of manner… kind of like a ninja. He wondered exactly how, when, and why Syaoran had attained such a demeanor.

"I wouldn't say that to her face," Eriol replied cooly, sliding his hands into his pockets. As their classmates bustled around them, Eriol took care to not speak too loudly. "Her company is becoming more and more draining, though."

"I can tell. Just watching her is draining." Syaoran shook his head. "But not to worry, my friend. Today's the day."

* * *

"Do you think I liked Syaoran back in elementary school?" Sakura wanted to slap herself for uttering the question, but the idea of it had been bugging her all night. She dreamt of it, too, much to her disgust when she awakened in the morning. She tried remembering the details of meeting Syaoran for the first time, but the memory seemed suppressed, as if she had worked so hard to banish it from her brain. For some reason, she felt as though their first encounter hadn't been all too bad.

As Sakura stared down at her half-eaten lunch, Tomoyo smiled knowingly to herself.

"Do I _think_ you liked Syaoran back in elementary school?" Tomoyo's voice was slightly playful, but it held its usual gentle tone. "Wow, Sakura. Do you honestly not remember?"

"Well," an aura of annoyance began to surface from Sakura's attitude, "I wouldn't be asking you if I remembered, would I? Besides, you know how my memory sucks ninety-nine percent of the time. I need a reliable source." She spoke like she was working on a research paper.

"Of course you liked Syaoran in elementary school," Tomoyo replied promptly, deciding to go straight to the point. "You two were almost… _kind of _friends. You don't remember that?"

"I don't think I want to," Sakura grumbled honestly, her brows pinching together.

"You probably tried forgetting it, because you couldn't possibly see yourself constantly trying to beat somebody that you cared about." Tomoyo nodded to herself, picking up her fork and running it through her potato salad. "I remember being kind of jealous, because when you two first met you were both wearing Pokémon t-shirts while I was wearing a Sailor Moon one." The dark-haired girl giggled at her past self. "But when the time came for our next times tables test and he scored higher than you… well, that was the end of your almost-friendship with Syaoran Li. You were so used to being the brightest student in the class, and all of sudden this new kid was going to replace you in the spotlight? It wasn't like you to take that lightly, Sakura."

Sakura remained silent, twirling her spoon in her applesauce in thought. Syaoran had been right; she _did_ like being in the spotlight. But that was only _sometimes_, and that definitely didn't make her an attention whore!

"Well, props to me for being able to delete that memory from my mind for so long," Sakura muttered bitterly. "And thanks for bringing it back after all my hard work of forgetting."

"Sakura, _you_ brought it up."

"I know," Sakura sighed. "It doesn't matter, anyway. It really doesn't."

* * *

As Syaoran made his way toward his next class, the sight of Sakura walking in the hall made him smirk to himself. She already looked bothered by something, but he decided it wouldn't hurt to aggravate her just a little more. He pulled a slip of paper from his pocket and quickened his pace so that he was walking side by side with her.

"Here," said Syaoran, catching Sakura's attention before handing her the rectangular piece of paper.

"'Fifty percent off a bikini wax at Le Chateau's Beauty Salon'?" Sakura snorted, shaking her head at the coupon in her hand and Syaoran's awful attempt at playing with her nerves. "It's January. Hardly anyone would want to use this. And… why would you have this in the first place?"

"My oldest sister owns the place, alright? She's always trying to get me to advertise for her," Syaoran replied casually. He shot Sakura a suggestive look. "Since she knows I've got connections with the _ladies_."

"How professional," Sakura answered sarcastically, scrunching the paper within a fist and tossing it at him. Syaoran easily dodged it. "Hmph. Use it for yourself. Your caterpillar eyebrows indicate that you're probably a mess downstairs, too."

"Ah, Sakura. You only wish you knew the status of my nether regions."

Sakura sniffed presumptuously. "You're so bigheaded."

"I know," Syaoran said as he winked at her. "Want me to prove it?"

"Well," Sakura pretended to gag at this point, "guess I'm not eating for the rest of the day." A look of seriousness suddenly shadowed over her face as she caught Syaoran's gaze. "Look, Syaoran. We both know that we don't enjoy each other's company, so could you please get the hell out of my way?"

Sakura was well-aware that she was being very rude to Syaoran— ruder than usual— but she wasn't quite fond of the idea of becoming friendly with him. He was exactly the type of guy Sakura didn't want to be too associated with. Syaoran didn't seem to have a good sense of morale, or care about anyone but himself.

Syaoran blinked at her in hidden surprise before shrugging once. "Whatever you want, princess," he said to her, feigning gentlemanlike courtesy as he swept a bent arm before him and bowed. He turned on his heel and left.

Sakura glanced around to make sure Syaoran was totally gone before she scurried back several feet to pick up the balled-up coupon.

* * *

"How's it going, Sakura?"

As she settled into her desk next to Eriol Hiiragizawa's, Sakura suddenly felt her heart race at an insane amount of beats per minute. It was a simple question that had called for nothing but a simple answer, yet Sakura didn't want to end up saying something foolish. She willed her cheeks to not become any redder than they already were.

"Good," Sakura replied, smiling at him. "It's going good. It's going _well_, I mean. What is 'it,' anyway, and why is it 'going'? I mean, how's it going for you?"

Eriol let out a chuckle as Sakura mentally berated herself for rambling even though she warned herself not to. "I'm alright. How do you think you did on that last test?"

_I think I aced it. _But what if overconfidence was a turnoff for Eriol? Then again, what if a lack of confidence was a turnoff for him, too?

"I think I did okay," Sakura replied slowly, feeling socially-challenged. She began toying with a strand of hair, but stopped the moment she felt like she appeared ditzy. "I don't know. Anatomy gets pretty hard, so I'm not too crazy about it…"

"Oh. This is my favorite subject," replied Eriol, and Sakura internally punched herself. "But it does have its challenges. I hope I did okay on the test, too." He nearly melted Sakura's heart as he smiled gently at her. "I'm sure you got an A, though. You're really smart. Wouldn't be surprised if you had the highest grade here."

Sakura's cheeks grew hot. "Thanks, Eriol."

The conversation had been short-lived and uninteresting, but Sakura knew she would be replaying every word in her head later that night, hidden beneath her sheets and dreamily thinking of her could-be prince. It was something that couldn't be helped when she liked someone. She had such difficulty interacting with Eriol, so every exchange she happened to have with him was branded into her mind. _You're really smart_, he had said, and that was what affected Sakura the most. Was there a hint in there? Did he notice how hard she worked? Did he admire that? Was she looking too deep into those three simple words? Was she overanalyzing?

She was definitely overanalyzing.

* * *

Aiko sat on the stone steps of the empty amphitheater, humming lightly to herself. She stretched out her legs, grazing the grass below with the tips of her boots. She felt as though her heart were a little hummingbird, rapidly flapping its wings against her chest as she waited for her beloved boyfriend, whose presence was due in about a minute.

An hour passed and there were still no signs of Eriol. Aiko was no longer humming.

"Did he stand you up?"

A small jolt ran down Aiko's spine, and her eyes began to dart around in search for the owner of the voice. Her eyes met with Syaoran's. It didn't take her long to notice how his eyes resembled two pools of melting milk chocolate. He was staring right at her, digging mesmerizingly into her soul and making her clench her teeth. She had heard about Syaoran Li. Some good, some bad. But one thing was for certain: He was quite the charmer. There was something about him that made most girls lose touch with their inhibitions. As Aiko subconsciously raked her eyes up and down Syaoran physique and casual expression, she could definitely understand why girls were crazy for him. He was gorgeous without trying to be.

"Eriol, you mean?" Aiko replied, following him with her gaze as he took a seat next to her. Syaoran looked down and chuckled as he pulled a hand through his hair, and Aiko decided it was one of the cutest gestures she had ever witnessed.

"Yeah," said Syaoran, turning to look at her. "Why would he leave such a pretty girl waiting?"

Aiko was momentarily at a loss for words. She couldn't help but flush pink at the young man's forward charm.

"Maybe something came up…" Aiko trailed off. "How'd you know I was waiting for him?"

"I don't think you would be waiting out in the cold for just anyone," explained Syaoran, as if Aiko's actions were very self-explanatory. "Besides, there are better things to do after school instead of sitting around in the amphitheater."

"True," Aiko answered, looking up thoughtfully. Then, she checked her phone. "Huh. He didn't even bother texting me about being late."

"I hate to say this," began Syaoran, "but what if he forgot?"

"Eriol wouldn't…" As her sentence faded yet again, Aiko fell into a state of deep thought. "Actually, he's been acting sorta distant lately."

"That's ridiculous." Syaoran gave a little laugh, shaking his head. "I mean, if I had a girlfriend, distant would be the last thing I'd want to be."

Aiko's interest was instantly piqued. "Really?"

"Well, yeah. When you choose to be in a relationship with someone, you're dedicating your heart to them, right? So, why would you want to distance yourself?"

"That's really sweet," said Aiko. She was smiling, and Syaoran was right on track.

"I'd be pretty disappointed if I were you," he continued. "Especially if I'd been waiting for a kiss."

Aiko's breath caught in her throat and she giggled nervously. "Why are you so good at that?"

"At what?"

"At interpreting situations… You knew I was waiting for Eriol, and you knew I wanted a kiss."

Syaoran shrugged. "All I know is, he's crazy for not giving you that kiss. You look so kissable, too."

Aiko reddened. "I do?"

"Don't act so surprised! Your lips are an amazing shape. Hasn't anyone ever told you that?" Syaoran's grin faded as he returned his gaze to Aiko. As his eyes connected with hers, he lifted his hand to gently run a finger over the curves of Aiko's full, rosy lips. His next words were very soft. "See, it's a heart."

Syaoran knew what was going on in Aiko's mind. She was feeling guilty for letting him touch her in such a way, but it was becoming so much of a guilty pleasure that she didn't want to reject him.

Aiko felt her body heat up with an almost forbidden type of warmth. She hadn't realized that her eyes had closed, she hadn't realized that their faces were inching closer, and she definitely did not realize their lips were barely touching— not until an upset voice shattered the surreality of it all.

"Aiko, what are you doing?"

Aiko instantly drew back, her eyes fluttering open in surprise. Her boyfriend stood several feet away from where she and Syaoran sat. She had never seen Eriol so disappointed.

"Eriol," Aiko whispered, and right then she knew it was hopeless. In situations like this, it was practically impossible to explain oneself, especially after hurting the person you loved most.

"Were you… about to kiss him?" Eriol asked, his expression calm but dark.

Aiko was quiet for a moment. She glanced at Syaoran, whose face was unreadable as he diverted his eyes. There was no way she could pin this on Syaoran. She could have pulled away. She could have told him to leave. She could have said that what they were doing was wrong, but she hadn't done any of those things.

She was guilty.

"I won't lie to y-you," Aiko stammered as her eyes clouded over with a tingling heat. The tears followed a few seconds later. "Yes."

Eriol sighed, and Syaoran lifted an eyebrow as the poised boy cast his gaze to the ground and solemnly shook his head. There was a thick tension hanging in the air that was different from the rest of the breakups Syaoran had triggered. This one wasn't filled with yelling or intense sobbing. This breakup was_ almost_ emotionally affecting to Syaoran.

"Then I can't be with you anymore," Eriol finally said, taking a few steps back as Aiko's flow of tears intensified. Without another word, Eriol turned away and began walking up the steps of the amphitheater.

Syaoran gave Aiko a glance of pity before following Eriol up the stairs. Once they were no longer within Aiko's line of vision, Eriol pulled out a crisp check from his wallet and handed it to the professional heartbreaker. After Syaoran pocketed the check, the two boys nodded to one another before parting ways. It was a silent transaction, maybe because Eriol no longer seemed keen on his decision to manipulate Aiko in such a way. Syaoran knew that Eriol was a good guy, but a cowardly one nonetheless. Every guy who had consulted him was a coward. And Syaoran was very shameless in his ability to earn money from these spineless bastards. It was nothing he felt guilty about.

_So much for your Prince Charming, huh, Sakura?_


	4. the almost valentine

**Gallery of Broken Hearts  
**(04: the almost valentine)

"I really don't want to be here today," Sakura grumbled, shoving her fists into the pockets of her jacket as she made her way toward her locker. Tomoyo smiled and wordlessly hooked her hand onto the crook of Sakura's arm, anticipating the girl's next words. "People are so disgusting on Valentine's Day. Maybe if I get sick enough, the nurse'll let me go home."

"You're only saying that because you've never had a valentine," Tomoyo teased sweetly, playfully bumping hips with her to get her to smile. It didn't work. Valentine's Day was clearly a touchy subject for Sakura.

"Gee, thanks for reminding me! It's so _nice_, not being able to forget I'll be alone. Forever."

"Forever?" echoed Tomoyo, her sparkling eyes incredulous.

"Forever alone," confirmed Sakura, pulling her arm free from Tomoyo's grasp as they reached their lockers. Sakura continued with, "Unlike you. You're every high school guy's wet dream."

"That's totally incorrect…" Tomoyo blushed madly, fiddling with her lock in denial. But Sakura's statement was very much true: Tomoyo Daidouji was very well-liked amongst the guys at Tomoeda High— it was easy to see why, with her glossy tresses and saccharine persona.

Sakura rolled her eyes and counted down under her breath up until the moment Tomoyo pulled open her locker door. "One, two—"

A swarm of envelopes spilled forth from the locker and began to gather at Tomoyo's feet.

"—three."

Sakura snorted.

"Wow," Tomoyo breathed, bending over and retrieving the letters that had tumbled out.

"You shouldn't be so surprised! Guys are always confessing to you on Valentine's Day," Sakura pointed out, diverting her eyes and toying with her own lock. She held her breath and slowly opened her locker. It creaked pathetically, and a moth might as well have fluttered out. Nothing. As usual. _Of course._

This didn't go unnoticed by Tomoyo, who decided to remain optimistic for her friend. "Maybe Eriol is planning on giving you something that couldn't fit in your locker! Flowers… chocolates… a teddy bear…"

"If you keep talking about it, it's only going to depress me when it doesn't happen," Sakura mumbled, reaching into her locker and pulling out her books for her next class. "It's okay, though. I don't really care."

Tomoyo knew better than to believe Sakura's halfhearted words.

* * *

The hands of the clock seemed to tick slower as Sakura willed time to pass faster. It was ridiculous. History was not her favorite subject and never would be. Sitting behind Syaoran didn't help, because the boy was very fond of leaning back in his chair. This meant that Syaoran's head was always inches away from Sakura's nose. But she had to admit, she was left wondering what kind of shampoo Syaoran used because his hair smelled really—

"Nice," Syaoran said smugly, passing Sakura a sheet of paper. It was the worksheet they had worked on "together" last month. Mr. Tohno was notorious for taking eons to grade even the simplest assignments. "We got everything right."

"'We'? Uh huh, sure," Sakura grumbled, but in her mind she was doing a little cheer. This meant she was well on her way to acing the class. As Sakura stared down at the red "_100%_" scribbled across the top of the paper, she could hardly bring herself to believe they had already been in their last semester of high school for a month.

And as Syaoran flashed her another one of his cocky smiles, Sakura found it even harder believe that it was getting easier for her to put up with him. She thought back to the moment in the hallway several weeks ago, when Syaoran had tried messing with her through the bikini wax coupon. Even though she had been wholly irritated with him and told him off, they were still talking the next day. They were still at each other's throats, of course, but they were talking nonetheless.

Thrashing away her thoughts, Sakura quickly added, "Remind me to thank you in my valedictorian speech."

"Valedictorian speech?" echoed Syaoran, flashing her a look of contempt. "You really need to stop thinking you're going to beat me in this thing."

"I don't_ think _I'm going to beat you, I _know _I am," Sakura retorted, shoving the paper back into his hands. She didn't like arguing with Syaoran as though they were children, like they were competing for candy instead of a special diploma, but he was such a kid.

Syaoran scoffed before changing the subject. "So, has anything _big_ happened with Eriol yet? It's Valentine's Day, after all."

"No…" Sakura bit her lower lip. When Syaoran had informed her that Eriol and Aiko were no longer together, she had practically thrown a party for herself. But her joy disappeared when she remembered that she became a rambling idiot whenever she was around Eriol. There was no way a suave, nearly untouchable young man would fall for her. She attracted guys like computer nerds, no offense to the computer nerds.

"And why the hell not?" demanded Syaoran, squinting at her in disappointment. "Don't you have any _game_, Sakura?" He sighed, giving her a once-over. "You really need to start wearing tops with lower necklines."

Sakura's eyes bugged out and she glanced down at her plain green t-shirt. "_What_?"

"Forget it. You probably don't have any cleavage to show off, anyway."

"Shut up, Syaoran!" fumed Sakura, lifting a fist and shaking it at him.

"Kinomoto! Li! Please, it is not wise to have a lovers' quarrel on Valentine's Day."

"Sorry, Mr. Tohno," they replied in unison, both through gritted teeth.

Suddenly, a student burst into the room, wearing nothing but white bed sheets draped over his chubby body. The class widened their eyes while Mr. Tohno narrowed his.

"What is this tomfoolery?" grumbled the teacher, pressing a finger to his temple in irritation. "I am trying to teach a class here."

"I'M CUPID!" trilled the unidentified male, pulling a bow and arrow from his shoulder and striking an unflattering, jiggly pose. The students in the room struggled to hide their laughter as Mr. Tohno merely raised a single bushy eyebrow.

"… You have got to be kidding me."

"Not at all, love!" piped Cupid, reaching into the tote bag draped over his arm. He pulled out several red and pink heart-shaped cards, each one with a chocolate bar attached to its surface. He waved them in the air. "I hath arrived with Valentine grams for the lot of ye! Well, the ones with secret admirers, at least…"

"Please," Mr. Tohno's robotic voice did not contain one ounce of amusement, "make this quick."

Cupid grinned cheekily and nodded obediently, waddling his way across the room and calling out the names of the Valentine recipients.

"Mio Kazuki… two for you! One for you, Reina Kaito! One for Yamada Akiko, three for Makoto Lieu… ah, and Syaoran…"

Sakura felt the corners of her mouth twitch in exasperation as a large pile of Valentine cards plopped onto Syaoran desk.

"Twenty-four for you, Syaoran Li! You go, Syaoran Li!"

Cupid did a little jig, and Syaoran suppressed a chuckle. The amusing scene ended as Mr. Tohno glared at Cupid, indicating that he was done with letting such nonsensical behavior occur in his classroom. The underdressed fellow bowed at everyone before leaving.

"You're going to get fat like Cupid, eating all that candy," muttered Sakura, resuming her History work.

"You're so bitter," Syaoran replied quietly, a small grin playing at his lips. "You must've never had a secret admirer before." When Sakura declined to answer, Syaoran continued. "It must suck when no one in a school of hundreds wants to be your valentine."

Before Sakura could reply, the bell's ringing sliced through the air, ending the school day. As Syaoran gathered the Valentine cards into a stack and turned around to shove them into his backpack, he caught a glimpse of Sakura's eyes.

They were watery.

"Yeah, it does," Sakura whispered, grabbing her bag and brushing past Syaoran as she left the classroom before the tears could spill.

As Syaoran stood there for a moment, a strange, foreign feeling began to creep beneath his skin, making him shudder slightly. Was he really feeling… guilty? No, that couldn't be it. He had never felt remorse when it came to saying something terrible about Sakura, or anyone, for that matter… so why was he feeling it now? Was it because she was about to cry? The image of Sakura's green eyes gleaming with tears flashed through his mind again, and he began to feel a little sick. He had only glanced at her for a second, but he couldn't get rid of that image of sadness.

"Damn it," Syaoran mumbled, slinging his backpack over his shoulder and making his way out of the classroom. He turned at a corner, toward Sakura's locker. Sure enough, she was standing right in front of it, dabbing the rims of her eyes with a tissue. Syaoran sighed, sinking his teeth into his lower lip before approaching her. As she lifted her head, he immediately caught her solemn gaze, though it quickly turned hostile. Right at that second, Syaoran nearly changed his mind altogether, but something within his gut told him to stay put. He didn't know what the notion was… but it kept him there.

"Listen," Syaoran began, biting his lip again as Sakura pretended not to listen. He continued in spite of it, refusing to back down. "I'm sorry. For earlier. For saying… what I said."

"What an eloquent apology, Casanova."

She wasn't going to make this easy, was she? Syaoran had to strain in order to keep from glaring at her. "Look… you shouldn't have to feel so crappy on a day like this. Even if it's a stupid holiday. And… yeah."

"And yeah?" For some reason, Sakura couldn't help but laugh. It was short and empty, but it was a laugh nonetheless. She looked right at Syaoran, raising an eyebrow. "You're normally so smooth with girls."

"I know, right?" Syaoran grouched, practically giving up. He leaned against the lockers, tossing his head once to shake the hair falling over his eyes. "But that's only because I'm such a _beast_ at lying. When it comes to words I really mean, they're harder for me to say. So I guess you could say I'm… genuinely sorry."

There was a beat of silence, and Syaoran couldn't figure out what was going on in her mind, but a wave of relief suffused through his body as Sakura began to smile. "Fine. I believe you."

"Alright then," Syaoran said, a corner of his lip lifting flippantly as he reached over and shut Sakura's open locker. "Let's go."

"Huh?" Sakura peered at him with eyes wide with puzzlement. She frowned as Syaoran wordlessly grabbed her backpack from the ground, forcing her to follow him down the hallway and out into the school's parking lot. She grunted weakly as she tried tugging her bag away from him, but to no avail. "H-hey!_ Syaoran_! What the_ heck_ are you doing?"

"Entertaining myself, first of all," snickered Syaoran, unlocking his car as they reached it, opening a door and tossing Sakura's backpack into the backseat. Sakura growled under her breath, diving for the bag. She shrieked as Syaoran slammed the door before she could climb out of the car. With a quick press of a button, the door locked. Sakura rolled down the window and glared angrily at him, her narrowed eyes demanding an explanation. Syaoran leaned down, leveling his face before hers. "Gotcha."

"Yeah, you got me," Sakura replied dully, her voice flat and annoyed. She huffed. "Now that you've _entertained_ yourself, can you let me out?"

"No."

"And why not?"

"Because we're going to make Eriol your valentine."

"W-what?" stuttered Sakura, clutching the rim of the window and blinking at him in disbelief. "Why would you help me?"

"Because… _you've _been helping _me_," Syaoran answered, moving his gaze elsewhere and shrugging once. "I'd be in deep shit right now, if you had decided to rat on me when you found out about my business. And now that I got Aiko out of the picture for you, I'm going to help you get with Eriol. You've got so much dirt on me, it'd be wise to keep you happy, right?"

Sakura leaned away from the opened window, her body slightly numb and limp in shock. She furrowed her brow and looked at him in confusion. "Right…"

Why hadn't she thought of that before?

"I overheard that Charming's going to be hanging out at Gerry's Ice Cream Parlor today," Syaoran began, unlocking the car once more and letting himself into the driver's seat. "And so that's where we're going."

"Fine then," Sakura replied, still surprised she was receiving help from her rival. It was a difficult idea to accept, especially since they had never helped each other before their deal. Her eyes met Syaoran's in the rearview mirror. "Can I at least have shotgun?"

Syaoran smirked, sticking his keys into the ignition. The engine roared to life. Syaoran set the car in reverse and slammed his foot on the gas pedal before abruptly braking. Sakura screamed as she tumbled onto the floor of the car.

Syaoran burst out laughing. "Not a chance."

"Jerk!"

* * *

A cluster of small, golden bells jingled overhead as Syaoran and Sakura stepped through the doors of the ice cream parlor. The sweet fragrance of combined ice cream flavors, paired with a sugary chill, greeted them. As the duo added to the growing line of customers, Sakura's eyes darted around the room in search of Eriol.

"Way to be subtle," teased Syaoran, fishing his wallet out from his back pocket. "You look like a lioness looking for prey… only, less sneaky."

"Do I really?" Sakura frowned, insecurity worming its way into her delicate features. Syaoran blinked at her, quickly moving his gaze to the menu before replying.

"Really," he said, scanning the flavors. "Just relax. Wouldn't want your pretty hair to turn gray."

"You think my hair is pretty?" Sakura wrinkled her nose and ran a hand through her messy auburn locks.

Syaoran ignored her. "I think I'll have strawberry… with cheesecake squares on top…"

All of a sudden, he felt a sharp pain squeezing at his arm. With alarmed eyes, he looked down to see Sakura's fingernails digging into his sleeve. She was grabbing his biceps, looking like a terrified mouse on the verge of being devoured. He rolled his eyes. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

She didn't need to answer him; all he had to do was follow her gaze to the entrance of the parlor. Eriol came walking in, hands in his parka and deep blue hair gently tousled by the cold wind from outside. Instead of immediately filing in line, he opted to take a seat at a booth. Syaoran watched with raised eyebrows and a slight wince (Sakura was still piercing into his arm, after all) as Eriol pulled out a book and began to read.

"How weird," Syaoran grumbled. "Who goes to an ice cream shop just to _read_?"

"What if… what if he's meeting someone here?" hissed Sakura, panic evident in her glittering eyes. Syaoran flinched as Sakura's hold on his arm tightened. She began to shake it back and forth, much to his annoyance. "What if he's on a _date_?"

"Calm down, will you?" Syaoran retorted, inching forward as the previous customers made their orders. Sakura remained attached to his arm, little whimpering noises sounding from her throat. She sounded like a dejected puppy. "And let me go before Eriol sees. He'll think we're together."

Sakura immediately released his arm, looking a little aghast, as though she hadn't realized she was still holding on to him and was disgusted at herself for it. She let out a worried sigh. "What do I do? What if I try to talk to him and this _gorgeous_ girl comes along and she's his date and I end up looking like a fool, and… and…"

"I'll have a large cup of strawberry ice cream," Syaoran told the employee behind the cash register. Sakura bit her tongue. "And please add some cheesecake squares on top."

"Certainly," said the employee, smiling as she punched in the order on the cash register. She looked over at Sakura. "What'll you have, miss?"

Caught off-guard, Sakura opened her mouth but failed to successfully give an order. Syaoran rolled his eyes again, smiling apologetically at the cashier before saying, "She'll have a large cup of double chocolate fudge ice cream with rainbow sprinkles and pistachios."

Sakura stared at Syaoran unbelievingly as the cashier told him the total of the order and took his cash. The staring ceased to stop as they received their ice cream and found a booth to sit in.

As Syaoran slid a spoonful of pink ice cream into his mouth, Sakura leaned forward and asked, "Okay, how in the world do you know my favorite type of ice cream?"

Pulling the spoon from his lips, Syaoran shrugged. "Third grade, show-and-tell. You had this 'brilliant' idea of bringing in a cup of your favorite ice cream and telling the whole class why you loved double fudge with rainbow sprinkles and pistachios so much."

Sakura looked up and brought a finger to her lips in thought. "Oh, I remember now!" She returned her gaze to Syaoran. "Jeez, how do you still remember that?"

"I don't know," Syaoran replied, serving himself some more of the chilled treat. "Probably because it was so damn _bizarre _to bring in ice cream for a presentation. You didn't even bring any for the whole class. It was so typical of you, thinking only of yourself."

"That's not true!" Sakura retaliated, tearing her eyes away from his and beginning to shovel the ice cream into her mouth.

"Dear god, Kinomoto. You eat like a pig."

Sakura stuck a brown tongue out at him.

"Yep, Eriol's totally going to fall for you now."

"Shut up." Sakura lifted the cup and began to slurp the ice cream that had already melted. Syaoran couldn't keep himself from laughing at her. She looked like a little girl, and it was almost endearing. Suddenly, a devious idea popped into his mind.

"Eriol's looking!" gasped Syaoran. Sakura nearly dropped the cup in her hands and attempted to wipe the chocolate from the corners of her mouth. She proceeded to smooth back her hair, and it was only when Syaoran sniggered at her that she realized he was only kidding.

"You're terrible," Sakura told him grumpily, slouching on her side of the booth and finishing off her ice cream. Syaoran gave her an impressed look; he had started before her, but he was only halfway finished. _Damn. _That girl really knew how to chow down.

With a satisfied sigh, Sakura set down her empty cup and patted her belly. She nestled into the booth's cushion.

"Don't get too comfortable," Syaoran warned, gesturing toward her with his plastic spoon. "Remember, I brought you here for Eriol."

Sakura nodded, looking at Syaoran intently for any word of direction. "What should I do?" She couldn't believe she was asking Syaoran for advice. "I can't just go over there… I don't want to impose!"

"Then you'll never make any progress. Being afraid of getting in the way all the time won't get you anywhere," Syaoran said to her, devouring the last of his ice cream. "If you don't confront a guy once in a while, how else is he going to notice you?"

"Well… I'd love to work up the courage to talk to him sometimes, but I'm always worried I'll be a nuisance instead of a good conversationalist…"

"You need to get rid of that fear," Syaoran replied, pointing at her with his spoon again. He brought it to his lips and began to nibble on it as he contemplated his next words. "Just go up to him, say something cute and casual, and go from there."

"Cute and casual," repeated Sakura, nodding to herself. "Cute and casual… like… 'Fancy seeing you here'?"

"That's way too cliché. Almost as bad as, 'You come here often?'"

"I'm doomed," Sakura moaned, bashing the back of her head against the seat. Syaoran shook his head at her, sighing. He motioned for her to lean closer, and once she did so, he whispered something into her ear. Sakura drew back and looked at him unenthusiastically.

"Seriously?" she asked, scrunching up her face in skepticism. Syaoran nodded, and Sakura gave a shrug, standing up from the booth. "Well, I don't have anything better than that. So here goes."

But before Sakura could step toward Eriol's booth, Syaoran grabbed her wrist.

"Wait," Syaoran said, standing up and chuckling at her. He eyed her chin, lifted a napkin, and wiped away a drizzle of dark chocolate from her skin. Sakura reddened in embarrassment and gulped as Syaoran released her and returned to his seat.

"I look terrible, don't I?" Sakura frowned, her face decorated with insecurity. She patted her hair for the umpteenth time and smoothed out her skirt. It didn't make her feel any better. In fact, it made her feel worse because she couldn't think of any possible way she could enhance her looks at that very moment.

"Don't say that," Syaoran replied, exasperated. He wanted to tell her that she looked fine, but he decided against it. "There's this thing called _confidence_, you might have heard about it at one point in your life. Try it sometime, it's good for you. But for now, just do your best to not look like a complete idiot, okay?"

"Thanks," Sakura said shortly and sarcastically, stepping away. "Let's hope I don't screw this up."

Syaoran gave her a halfhearted thumbs-up before she turned around, held her breath, and maneuvered her way across the room in the direction of Eriol's booth. She exhaled shakily before stepping right next to his table and clearing her throat. Eriol looked up from his book and smiled at her.

"What flavor is that?" Sakura asked, gesturing to the book and grinning at him cutely. For a moment, Sakura felt incredibly stupid. Had she heard Syaoran wrong, or was that really what he told her to say? She was going to feel like an idiot if Eriol didn't laugh. But he did, much to Sakura's surprise and delight. Who knew such silly words could pique interest? Sakura began to understand. As long as it was a line that could begin a conversation, it didn't matter if it was a little random. There was nothing wrong with making someone smile.

"It's called, 'Eriol's Alone for Valentine's Day,'" he replied, adding on to her joke. Sakura's heart drummed madly in her chest as Eriol gestured for her to sit down.

"Sounds bitter," said Sakura, easing up a little as Eriol laughed once more.

"It's weird, isn't it? Going to to an ice cream shop just to read…" Eriol trailed off, closing his book and setting it aside. "I like it, though. This place has my favorite smell in the world: A mixture of different ice creams, packed in one room, just mingling and filling the air. It's comforting."

Sakura nodded, amazed at how Eriol could easily sound so poetic. "That's… understandable. This place has the best ice cream in the area." She shrugged. "I won't judge you."

"I'm glad," Eriol said, his eyes glimmering with a radiance that curdled the ice cream in Sakura's stomach. He nodded toward the menu. "Can I get you something?"

"Oh! No, I'm fine, I already ate…" Sakura waved her hands in front of her, straining to keep her cheeks from staining red. "Thanks, though."

"Are you here with anyone?"

"Nope," Sakura lied, moving her hands to her lap and squeezing her fingers together. "I'm spending Valentine's Day alone, too, actually…"

Eriol frowned slightly, looking at her with glints of sympathy in his eyes. "Well, that doesn't make any sense at all. I thought you'd have a ton of guys begging to be your valentine."

"R-really?" Sakura giggled. She shook her head. "That's far from the truth, Eriol. But I'll admit, I was thinking the same thing for you."

"Ah, no," Eriol peered at her teasingly. "I don't have very many guys begging to be my valentine."

"You know what I meant!" Sakura grinned, feeling a strange warmth at the back of her neck. She wondered if Syaoran was watching her interact with Eriol. She hastily swatted the thought away, reminding herself to focus on the conversation. But by the way Eriol looked at his wristwatch, Sakura could tell it was going to end too soon.

"It was great seeing you here," Eriol said, picking up his book and smiling at her once more. "But I've got to head out. My dad's out of town and I promised my mom I would have dinner with her for Valentine's Day."

Sakura could have sworn her heart melted into mush right then and there.

"That's really sweet," Sakura replied, standing up when Eriol did. If Eriol was going to spend the rest of his day with his mother, then she didn't have to feel insecure about losing him to another girl as a valentine. For a moment, they stood in front of each other awkwardly, considering they weren't exactly close enough to hug, and it would be too odd to shake hands.

It ended with a little wave from Eriol. But just as he was about to turn for the exit, he stopped himself and asked, "You know how we can get extra credit in Anatomy by visiting the Bodies Museum?"

Sakura's heart solidified and did a little leap. "Yeah… are you going to go?"

"Well, I was wondering if you'd like to go with me," Eriol said, and Sakura noticed a sheepishness in his expression that she had never witnessed before.

"I'd love to," Sakura replied, biting into the insides of her cheeks to keep from smiling too hard. Her breath stuck in her throat and she wanted to throw her hands up in the air and rejoice, but that would have to wait until later, when she was safe within the walls of her bedroom.

"Great!" Eriol was beaming, and Sakura was internally squealing. "We can decide a day and time later. I'll see you tomorrow in class, Sakura."

He nodded to her before making his way out of the parlor. Sakura spun around and instantly connected eyes with Syaoran, who she immediately bounded over to in utmost excitement.

"Since he left, it's obvious you didn't make him your valentine," said Syaoran, observing the bouncy Sakura with a lifted brow. "But judging by your giddiness, I'm guessing you got a date out of him?"

"I don't know if it's a date," replied Sakura, still trembling ecstatically as she settled back into the booth. "But we're going to do Anatomy extra credit together."

"Anatomy extra credit, eh?" Syaoran winked at her. "Nothin' like studying bodies to heat things up."

"You're a perv," Sakura shot at him, dismissing his statement with a short toss of her hand. She looked away and smiled to herself. For the first time since she started taking an interest in boys, she felt like as though she was on the right track. It didn't matter if Eriol had asked her on a date or not— just to be safe, she wasn't even going to consider it as a date. Simply having an opportunity to bond with him was enough for now. Her cheeks were beginning to hurt from her seemingly perpetual smile. If things were to work out the way she wanted them to… maybe Eriol would be her boyfriend before the end of senior year. Maybe she would have a date to prom. Maybe—

Syaoran snapped his fingers next to Sakura's ear, cutting off her thoughts.

"Getting a little lost in your dirty fantasies, Sakura?"

Sakura stuck her tongue out at him for the second time that day. "You know what? I'm leaving. Thanks for your help, but I have better things to do than hang out with you." With a glare of finality, Sakura stood up from her seat, turned on her heel, and left for the exit.

A moment later, she walked back inside and returned to the booth.

Syaoran smirked at her, drumming his fingers on the table. "Need a ride home?"

"Yeah."

* * *

**A/N: **It's February in the fic, but December in real life. Haha. Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! There isn't much to say, except I'm a few days away from winter break, so expect this to be updated more frequently within the next month or so. Thanks for reading, everyone. :D I've got lots in store for you, but I'm a little lazy, so I need motivation!


	5. the science of bodies

**A/N:** You guys are so great at motivating me! Thank you all for your wonderful reviews and words of encouragement. :3 I'm done with school for the rest of the year now, so expect this fanfic to be updated more frequently. I'll definitely be updating at least one more time before Christmas arrives as a gift to my readers. I'm actually almost done with the next chapter, and I swear it'll probably be more interesting than this dinky one. So… what's going on with Sakura's relationship with Touya? And who should Sakura be with? Eriol or Syaoran? Or maybe even Tomoyo? ;D Hmm…

* * *

**Gallery of Broken Hearts  
**(05: the science of bodies)

Sakura scrutinized her reflection in her mirror, frowning to herself. She had never been too fond of her face. She didn't see herself as hideous— her self-esteem wasn't _that_ low— but she didn't think her appearance qualified for anything beyond boringly average. There was nothing special about her facial shape, and she had layered, tawny hair that was a complete hassle to manage. She proved this last detail true as she dragged a brush through the tangles of her freshly-showered bangs, wincing.

Groaning, Sakura set down her brush. It was hopeless. She had been waiting two weeks for this day, and she felt as though she looked like absolute garbage! With her hair clustered messily around her face and her eyes reflecting fatigue from studying so much, the dead bodies on display at the museum were going to look more attractive than her. And Eriol would never grow to love her because she was socially and physically uninteresting…

She really needed to stop throwing herself so many pity parties.

It wasn't like she was going on a date, anyway.

Picking up her phone, Sakura pressed the second number on her speed dial. Only two rings sounded before her call was answered. "Tomoyo? Do you think you could stop by before your music lessons? I look like crap."

Half an hour later, Tomoyo was tenderly sliding the brush through Sakura's now-sleek hair, which had been tamed with a sweet-smelling serum straight from Tomoyo's collection of hair-enhancing products originating from different parts of the world. Sakura exchanged glances with Tomoyo in her mirror, and the girls grinned at one another.

"It's nice to see you smile," Tomoyo told her companion, putting down the brush and picking up several bobby pins. She pushed Sakura's bangs to the side and clipped them there, revealing more of the girl's clear complexion. "You've been so stressed about this museum visit with Eriol… I was beginning to get really worried."

"I'm sorry for worrying you," Sakura sighed, closing her eyes as Tomoyo gingerly swept a light powder over her skin, followed by a faint pink blush for the apples of her cheeks. That was the extent of makeup Tomoyo used on her, because even though Sakura didn't believe it, Tomoyo thought her best friend looked lovely without a single dash of makeup.

"But I understand how much you like him." Tomoyo watched as Sakura stood from her vanity and pulled off her half-slip, donning on a simple pink blouse and white jeans. The girls had changed in front of each other countless times during their years of friendship, so it wasn't awkward at all.

Sakura returned to Tomoyo's side and slid her arms around her shoulders, pulling her into a tight embrace. "Thank you so much for coming over. But you're probably running late for your lessons now, huh?"

Tomoyo shook her head at Sakura's meek expression, smiling radiantly. "Don't worry about it, I'll make it on time!" She admired her handiwork on Sakura's simplistic yet chic hair and makeup before picking up her purse and heading out the bedroom door. "Call me after you get back from the museum, okay? I'm sure it'll be great. See you later. I love you."

"Bye. Love you, too."

Sakura spent a while longer gathering items for her purse and making sure she had her ticket to the museum. She didn't want to forget anything and end up looking like a fool in front of Eriol. She had several nights' worth of nightmares to back up that fear, and she wasn't about to let it become a reality.

Once she was ready, she left her room and ambled down the stairs. She noticed her brother emerging from the kitchen and asked, "Do I look okay?"

"Why? Did someone ask you out on a date for once?"

Apparently, he couldn't simply give her a straight answer. Sakura rolled her eyes, initiating the beginning of traces of annoyance on Touya's face. "It's none of your business."

"You're the one asking me about how you look." Touya tugged a hand through his hair, his irritability developing by the second. But even as he grew perturbed, he contained it and kept his voice steady. "You know, you're always doing that sort of thing."

Sakura planted her hands on her hips, narrowing her eyes at him. "What's that supposed to mean? 'That sort of thing'?"

"You're always trying to get people's attention. And once you have it, you act like you don't want it."

Sakura scoffed, blinking in disbelief as her own exasperation began to increase. She and Touya normally bickered, but there was something about this confrontation that made it more unnerving than usual. Maybe it was because she just wanted to get the hell out of there and see Eriol. Maybe it was because she wanted her brother to give her a damn _compliment_ for a change. Maybe it was because Touya was speaking the truth, and she hated hearing the truth if it didn't benefit her in any way.

Regardless of the reason, Sakura's patience was seriously beginning to thin.

"That's a load of bull," Sakura retaliated, grumbling something incoherent under her breath as her brother shrugged off her answer.

"Whatever you say, monster."

"_Monster_? Really, Touya?" Sakura whined. "It wasn't _that_ bad when you called me that stupid name while you were in high school and I was a kid. But I'm practically an _adult_ now, and you're— well, _old_."

"God. You may be graduating in a few months, but you're still such a brat."

"I can't wait until I move away for college so I can be away from _you_," Sakura spat, snapping her head away and grabbing the doorknob in front of her. She twisted it and pulled forth the door, but decided to heatedly continue before stepping out. "Which is what you should've done. Move out, you know. You're a grown man still living with his dad. What the hell is up with that?"

Touya met Sakura's high-powered stare with his own. "You're just an insecure little girl, aren't you?"

Sakura's teeth clamped down on her tongue as she refused to continue the sour conversation. She glared daggers at her brother before turning away, hastily exiting and slamming the door behind her. She didn't need anything else to stress her out right now. She was already afraid of screwing things up with Eriol before anything even began. And if acting like a selfish child made her feel more at ease, then so be it.

* * *

As she stood in front of the tall, pillared building, Sakura felt her hands and feet grow numb. It was strange, how the Bodies Museum stretched so high into the sky that it made her feel insignificant and unworthy of the exhibits within its walls. An expansive line of stairs led to the double-doored entrance. Sakura couldn't even bring herself to place her foot on the first step.

Why did she have to get so worked up over one boy? Sakura mulled over this, the reasons rushing to her in an overwhelming wave and making her cheeks turn pink. She had never met a guy like Eriol before. While her school was full of idiots and douchebags (one chestnut-haired boy in particular), Eriol carried himself with an air of class and genuine cordiality, and that was why Sakura often fantasized about him as a prince, saving a mere pauper like her.

But there was no way Eriol was going to be her prince if she couldn't even bring herself to face him. Sakura felt an ache in her heart as she wished Tomoyo wasn't in her music lesson at the time— she really wanted to call her for words of wisdom and motivation. With nerves swarming in her stomach, Sakura pulled out her phone and reluctantly dialed a certain number.

"What do you want, Sakura?"

"I'm going to make a fool out of myself," Sakura groaned, ignoring Syaoran's rude greeting. "I can't even go inside."

She heard Syaoran give a sigh of exasperation.

"Then don't go, simple as that."

"Jeez. I feel _so_ motivated now," drawled Sakura, making sure each syllable dripped with sarcasm. She felt a little bad, because _she_ was the one who called Syaoran in the first place, and she was already giving him an attitude. It wasn't like it was his job to pep her up.

"Alright, Kinomoto, this is just how these things work. If you really feel like you're going to screw up your chances with Eriol, then you might as well leave, right? You'll get the same outcome."

Sakura remained silent on the line. Syaoran sighed again.

"It's the museum near the zoo, right?" he asked.

"Yeah, why?"

And then Syaoran hung up. Sakura scoffed at her phone, shoving it back into her purse. _Well, that was a big fat load of help_. She decided right then that she wouldn't dare call Syaoran for advice ever again. She had to handle this on her own.

In an attempt to calm herself, she crouched down and sat on the first step of the stone stairs, closing her eyes and focusing on breathing slowly. Maybe Syaoran was right, but he was still no help at all.

Ten minutes passed. Sakura opened her eyes and let out a drawn-out, trembly exhale. _He's just a boy_, she told herself. _Just a boy_.

Just a boy who happened to be her dream boy.

As she turned around to finally make the trek up the stairs, Sakura heard someone call out her name. She turned around to see Syaoran bounding up the stairs to catch up to her, his hair a complete mess and his shirt half-tucked in, half-tucked out.

"Ew," Sakura grumbled, trying to hide her shock by putting up a front of disgust. "I really don't want to know what you just did."

"Business, that's all." Syaoran's lips switched into a devilish half-smile as he pushed his hair away from his eyes, tucking in the rest of his shirt. When Sakura gave him a questioning look that indicated she was wondering why he was here, he began to explain. "I was already in the area when you called me. I figured I'd stop by and make sure you don't completely mess this up."

"Do you think I'd report you to the principal if our deal didn't work out in my favor?" Sakura asked, raising a brow at him. She thought about it, but she wasn't sure if she would. She didn't express this, however, because it was rather convenient for her to have Syaoran tend to her needs… even if he did it in the most annoying ways possible.

"Exactly," Syaoran replied, observing her as she quavered with anxiety. "First of all, stop shaking like that. You look like a damn chihuahua. You don't want Eriol to think you're a spaz, do you?"

"He probably already thinks I am…"

"You really need to work on your self-esteem," Syaoran reproached her, and he noticed an unspoken and unidentifiable pain glimmer in her eyes at his criticism. He hesitated for a moment before continuing with more caution. "You're not a _total_ spaz, Sakura. Just— I can't believe I'm saying these overused words, but— just be yourself. Don't look at me like that, I'm _paid_ to lie to girls. You actually _want_ this guy to be your boyfriend. So don't cheat yourself by acting like someone you're not. This is the first time you're legitimately hanging out with him, so it's okay if it's not perfect. It's okay if nothing romantic happens. Just survive today, and see what happens from there. And if things don't work later on, then… too bad. We're graduating in four months. High school relationships hardly last, anyway."

Sakura stared at him, absorbing his speech with knitted brows and troubled eyes. "You've never had a girlfriend, have you?"

There was a beat in which a flicker of surprise dashed across Syaoran's face, but he recovered in a flash and irritably said, "Where the hell did that come from? This is about _your_ date with Eriol. And I'm guessing you've already kept him waiting in there for too long." He paused, scrutinizing her. "You have punctuality issues, don't you?"

Sakura reddened and nodded.

"Well, then stop standing there and go get your man." And without a single word of goodbye, he turned around and left her on the stairs. Sakura sighed, nodded to herself, and mustered up the courage to enter the museum at last.

She found Eriol in the lobby, reading one of the many posters and banners hanging from the walls. Relief blossomed within her gut as he looked up and smiled at her.

"I'm so sorry for being late," Sakura told him, a little breathless. He didn't appear upset because of her delayed arrival, but she afraid he was possibly hiding it. She had never seen Eriol in any disposition besides happy and positive. In fact, she couldn't imagine Eriol in a dark mood. She didn't want to. It would ruin her near-flawless perception of him.

Eriol shook his head, his smile never leaving his features. "No need to apologize. I'm sure you have your reasons."

Sakura diverted her gaze and laughed nervously. "Yeah…"

"Besides," continued Eriol, reaching into his pocket, "it gave me time to get you something from the gift shop."

His hand reemerged to reveal a gleaming crimson heart dangling from a thin silver chain. Sakura's eyes widened as large as saucers as Eriol presented it to her. The charm was in the shape of an actual heart, anatomically-correct with ventricles and atriums and _everything_. The Bodies Museum logo was printed in gold and black ink on the back. Sakura had to purse her lips to keep her jaw from dropping.

"Whoa," Sakura squeaked, staring at the keychain in her hands. "You didn't have to…"

"I wanted to. Being your lab partner is one of the highlights of Anatomy for me, and I wanted to show you my appreciation for each time you helped me." Eriol chuckled as Sakura remained speechless. "Your silence means you either hate it or love it…"

"I love it," Sakura looked up from the gift and beamed at him. "I really do. Thank you, Eriol."

"You're welcome. Now, let's earn our extra credit, shall we?"

"We shall!" For the first time since she began crushing on Eriol, Sakura began to feel more at ease in his presence. She nodded delightedly and allowed him to guide her into the halls leading to the exhibits.

* * *

"This is amazing," Eriol breathed, pushing his glasses further up the bridge of his nose as he and Sakura stood before a display of preserved, embracing bodies. They were encased within walls of glass, their plastic-like muscles pink and shining against the spotlight above them. "It's almost tragic."

"But in the most beautiful way," added Sakura, staring as the skinless bodies held each other in eternal repose. She thought of it as bittersweet, and began to hope that the next display would be less depressing. She was proved utterly wrong as she and Eriol continued on the tour, approaching a set of preserved fetuses.

Eriol's eyes lit up with interest. "Look at these… all the stages of a baby's development are here." He moved closer to inspect every little detail of the salmon-colored, unborn specimens. His next words were very soft as he continued to gaze through the glass. "These fetuses will never grow up to be like us. They're perpetually in one stage. They'll never see the light of day. They'll never breathe."

Sakura felt a sudden sting rise to her eyes. A lump gathered in her throat as she gazed at the fetuses— curled up and tiny, eyes forever lidded. _They'll never see the light of day_._ They'll never breathe._ It was a devastating thought, and it only made Sakura feel worse as she imagined the mothers of these premature babies and how heartbroken they must have been to find out their child would not live.

Before she knew it, her eyes were clouding over and Eriol was taking ahold of her arm.

"Sakura… are you alright?" Eriol asked her, his brow knitting in concern. Sakura pulled her gaze away from the heart-wrenching display to meet Eriol's deep, grayish-blue eyes. She hadn't realized that tears were already beginning to trickle down her cheeks. She was at a loss for words.

Eriol sighed to himself, as if he felt foolish. "What am I thinking? Of course you're not okay…" He brought his hand to Sakura's face, brushing away her tears. His other hand rested comfortingly on the side of her arm. "Do you want to move on to another section of the museum?"

Sakura quietly nodded, bringing it upon herself to wipe away the rest of her tears as Eriol patted her on the back. But before she and Eriol stepped away from the fetuses, the sight of a familiar classmate made both of them freeze up and feel a slight sense of panic. Their fellow peer caught their gazes and immediately headed toward their direction.

"Hello, Eriol." It was Aiko. Her long brown hair was pulled back into a high ponytail and her sky blue eyes appeared tired. She wore a red polo with the Bodies Museum logo. "Hello, Sakura."

Sakura was impressed by the way Eriol easily kept his composure. "Aiko… I don't remember you taking Anatomy. Are you here just for personal interest?"

"I'm a volunteer," she replied, lifting the badge attached to the lanyard around her neck. She dropped it and let it hang once more, pausing and wetting her lips before slowly asking, "Are you two here… together…?"

"It's for extra credit," replied Eriol, rather shortly. Sakura began to feel awkward, uncomfortable with being in the middle of an uneasy exchange between exes. Silly her for thinking she could have a stress-free day with Eriol.

"Oh… I see." Another pause from the tiny girl. "So it's not a date or anything?"

Sakura blinked. _Did she really just ask that?_ It wasn't any of her business.

"We're just friends, Aiko," Eriol assured her, but he was evidently grimacing. He turned to glance at the squirming girl next to her. "Right, Sakura?"

"Right," Sakura replied, not even bothering to add a little enthusiasm into her voice. It was only after she internally reprimanded herself that she forced a smile and directed it at Aiko. "This is strictly for educational purposes."

"Alright, well…" Aiko chewed on her bottom lip and stared at the two a while longer before stepping away. "I'll leave you guys alone now. Enjoy the rest of your visit." She smiled weakly, and Sakura noticed a sense of longing in Aiko's eyes. Her heart plummeted.

"I'll see you at cheerleading practice next week," Sakura said, her smile more genuine this time. Aiko nodded and quietly dismissed herself. Once Aiko was out of sight, Eriol gave out a heavy sigh of relief. Sakura turned to him. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I am. It's just… Aiko gets emotional easily. I was afraid of upsetting her… especially since she's working."

Sakura reached over and placed a hand on Eriol's shoulder for a short moment, surprising herself for having the courage to touch him. Her next words were undoubtably filled with admiration. "You're a good guy, Eriol."

Eriol's troubled expression gradually ceased to exist as his brilliant smile returned. "I hope I didn't upset you." Sakura gave him a look of confusion, so he elaborated. "Like… when I said that this isn't a date. I didn't want to make her sad."

Looking away and giving a sheepish laugh, Sakura said, "Well, it isn't one, right?"

"I don't like labeling things," Eriol answered, his smile softening as he gently took Sakura's arm while they moved on to another display. Sakura felt her skin practically erupt with a thousand fireworks. _Gosh, his hands are so smooth._ It hinted at the possibility that he hardly did any tough labor in his life, but Sakura didn't really care.

The next exhibit showcased half a brain, in all of its wrinkled and bulging glory. A hyperactive child stood next to Sakura and Eriol as they identified the brain's lobes.

"Look, Mommy! A brain! A sliced brain! It's all _oogly_ and _googly_! And, and…" A wave of nausea overtook the child's chubby face, and he gagged. "It's probably all slimy and gooey and…"

Sakura let out a gasp as the little boy suddenly doubled over and hacked out vomit, spewing green and yellow liquid and chunks of half-digested meat all over her pants and shoes. An employee quickly arrived at the scene while Sakura stared down at her white pants and new boots in muted horror.

"Cleanup in the Central Nervous System exhibit! I need a towel for this girl here!"

* * *

The front door chirred slightly as it opened. Sakura wearily stepped inside, pulling the bobby pins from her hair and slipping them into her pocket. She sighed, locking the door and making her way down the hall. Through the corner of her eye, she saw Touya browsing on his laptop in the living room. As she passed by, the rapid clicking of his typing stopped, and she tensed, bitterly recalling their argument from earlier that day.

"How did it go?" Touya asked her, looking up from his computer screen, which bathed his stoic face with light in the dimness of the room. He raised his eyebrows at the plastic bag in Sakura's hands, which seemed to contain clothing. He surveyed his sister's peeved and disheartened appearance. "Why are you wearing sweatpants?"

"Don't talk to me," Sakura whispered harshly, feeling her eyes brim with tears. She ran up the stairs and into her room, shutting the door loudly behind her.


	6. the buried promise

**Gallery of Broken Hearts**  
(06: the buried promise)

"Good morning."

The sun began to rise into the horizon, casting long shadows across the grass. Morning dew dripped from the green blades, painting damp streaks against Sakura's sneakers. She knelt in front of the tombstone, shivering as the crisp air of March whirled about her. There was a moistness seeping into the knees of her jeans, but she paid it no heed.

"It's getting harder and harder to keep my promise," Sakura murmured, directing her soft gaze at the gray slab of rock standing before her. She trailed a finger against the tombstone's edge, swallowing a lump that had tightened in her throat. She felt an evident strain in her cheeks as she forced a smile. "But I'm going to try my best, as always."

Sakura sighed at the silence that followed, and bowed her head to stare at the ground beneath her.

"I love you, Mom."

* * *

"Sakura?"

Silence.

"Sakura… you're about to pop that eyeball."

"Huh?" Snapping out of her daze, Sakura veered her eyes toward the metal tray below her. Latex gloves covered her hands. Her fingers grasped a tiny pair of scissors, which were pressing against the cow eyeball in question. As she quickly retracted her hand, she moved her gaze toward her lab partner, instantly heating up at his expression of concern.

It had been over a week since her extra credit endeavor with Eriol, and even though she had grown to be a bit more comfortable around him, he still made her wild with nerves. Her heart sank as she recalled the child's sudden onslaught of puke on her pants. It had definitely ruined her day, and although Eriol had been very understanding about the whole issue, she was certain he was just as disgusted and uncomfortable as she had been.

After the janitors arrived and she was finally given a towel, Eriol and Sakura ended up deciding to finish their museum tour right then and there. Being the gentleman that he was, Eriol purchased a pair of Body Museum sweatpants from the gift shop so that Sakura didn't have to wear her soiled jeans on the way home. This gesture had deeply affected Sakura, and when she told him she would pay him back, Eriol told her that it wouldn't be necessary.

She couldn't forget the look of genuine worry in Eriol's eyes as they parted ways that evening.

But then, there was the moment that occurred after the museum visit. A pang of guilt rose in her chest as she remembered how rude she had been to her brother when she came home that evening. There was now an unsettled tension in the Kinomoto household. She hadn't spoken to her brother since that night, and he hadn't made an attempt to talk to her, either.

Eriol reached over with his own gloved hands, delicately taking hold of the eyeball meant for dissection. Sakura's brow furrowed and her nose wrinkled. She wasn't too fond of Anatomy labs, especially when it involved the slicing and prodding of innocent animals' remains. But working with Eriol compensated for any distaste she felt toward the science class, of course.

"Are you alright?" asked Eriol, his eyes carefully examining her. "You seem very distracted."

Sakura felt the confines of her stomach pull taut at Eriol's anxious tone.

"I'm fine," she replied simply, holding back from saying anything else in fear of blurting out something nonsensical. She continued cautiously. "Besides, aren't we supposed to poke a hole in it? So we can cut it open…"

"Yes," Eriol replied, smiling at her. "But I didn't want you to cut your finger open or anything like that, because you seem so out of it."

"Oh…" Sakura's eyes returned to the white and brown glob. It hardly resembled an eyeball. She squeezed the scissors securely in her hand before aiming for the specimen once more. Eriol assisted her by holding it in place.

Sakura held her breath and pushed the blade into the cushiony mass.

Eriol widened his eyes at the last second. "Wait, you should probably wear—"

Sakura screamed as a translucent substance shot into the air and splashed onto her face.

"—goggles."

* * *

"You know…" The back of Syaoran's hand trailed down the cheek of a blushing girl, her eyes already wide with lust and longing. Her hands were clenched at her waist, trembling, as though she wanted to reach up and grab his face and kiss him all over. "You're way out of that jerk's league."

"I… I am?" The girl whispered, her breathing shallow. She gulped as Syaoran moved his lips toward her ear. His warm breath sent torturous shivers down her back, all the way to her curling toes.

"Without a doubt," murmured Syaoran, and his lips made contact with the skin of her cheek, causing the girl to quiver even more.

"S-Syaoran," the girl stuttered, stepping back. She gazed at him, conflicted and confused. "What are you d-doing?"

Syaoran leaned away, his face suddenly awash with an embarrassed look. It was as genuine as his desire to truly be with the girl, which meant his embarrassment was utterly and totally fake. But this girl was too dense and flustered to see through his act, just like all the other girls before her.

"I'm sorry." Syaoran gave out a nervous laugh, looking away and pulling his hand through his hair and grinning sheepishly. "You're just so beautiful— I couldn't— I couldn't really help myself."

That did it. The girl's eyes filled with desire once more, and she shook her head at him, reaching forward and pulling him into a deep kiss. Syaoran responded fervently, resting his hands against the girl's hips, drawing her closer.

The next few minutes happened according to plan. The boyfriend came stomping in, shouting profanities and accusatory comments toward the girl, who ran off crying after realizing her pleas were useless. Syaoran was showered with praise and awarded a generous amount of cash.

And then he was left in the hallway, alone as usual.

And he was okay with that.

Syaoran stared at the money in his hands, his trained fingers quickly flipping through each bill as he counted them. He folded the stack into a square and tucked it away in his pocket, patting the surface of his jeans— as if it gave him comfort to know it was still there. Money was solid and real, unlike the many intangible, foolish ideas of the world. He didn't need to worry about his own heart breaking as long as he didn't believe in love.

The bell rang, signaling a five-minute passing period. Students poured out of the classrooms and spilled into the halls. Amidst those students was Sakura, who seemed to be parting the ocean of students as she stormed down the walkway. Her jaw tightened as her teeth clenched. Her fists were balled on either side of her.

"Hey!" The instantly-recognizable voice didn't faze Sakura; she continued along with her raging march. Why the hell did she have to be so damn _unlucky_? She hated feeling like there was an unknown, diabolical force determined to ruin her life.

Especially on a day like today…

She couldn't handle any more heartache.

"Go away, Syaoran," Sakura commanded, her eyes steadily focusing on the path in front of her. As per usual, her rival failed to listen. He was now easily in synch with her long, hasty strides. This further aggravated Sakura's foul mood. "You're the last person I want to deal with today."

"Whoa, now," said Syaoran, blinking at her in confusion. As they walked, Syaoran observed the girl's visibly upset features. It wasn't unusual for Sakura to appear pissed at him, but it seemed amplified today. "Why so catty?"

"Leave me alone."

"I bet it's not even anything substantial," Syaoran replied spitefully, neglecting to think twice about his harsh words. "You're probably PMSing."

Sakura suddenly halted, causing Syaoran to stumble slightly as he stopped along with her. He took several seconds to stare down at the moody girl. In those several seconds, the crowd of passing students around them began to thin. And in that moment, he noticed a trace of sadness in Sakura's expression— a type of sadness in her eyes that he had never encountered in his many years of knowing her.

As she looked away, Sakura repeated her previous words, but in a softer, fragile tone. "Leave me alone." She sighed shakily. "Please."

A strange feeling began to tighten in Syaoran's chest— he didn't know what it was, but he knew he didn't like it.

"What's wrong?" he asked, clearly not ready to leave yet. He was unsure as to whether his reason for refusing to leave was because of curiosity, concern, or both.

"Why would I tell you?" Sakura replied quietly, her anger disintegrating. It left her appearing exhausted. It showed in the way her shoulders drooped and in the way she seemed to be using so much effort to simply stand there.

"I don't know," sighed Syaoran. "And I believe you when you say that I'm the last person you want to deal with. But, honestly, you looked like you were about to kill someone."

"I was squirted in the face this morning," Sakura suddenly confessed, her eyes welling up with tears.

Syaoran raised his eyebrows, feeling like a jerk as he choked back a snort. "Well, uh, I didn't know you were into that…"

"Not like _that_, you idiot!" Sakura growled, her anger momentarily flaring once more. She struggled with the teardrops threatening to fall. "I was dissecting a cow eye— and it just— squirted me in the face…"

Syaoran had to bite down on his lower lip to keep from smiling in amusement. "Shit happens. I don't understand how you could possibly be near tears because of that. You handled a kid hacking out their guts all over your pants— which I still _cannot_ believe, by the way— and I'm sure you can handle this. You're tougher than that, right?"

"We're going to be late to class," Sakura grumbled, straying from the subject. They were the only ones remaining in the hall. She heard a distant door squeak before it closed.

"You don't even look like you can handle one of Mr. Tohno's lectures today," Syaoran told her, and he widened his eyes as Sakura's tears began to descend. He didn't know why, but he felt like his stomach was about to eat itself. He hadn't felt that way before… or had he? He had. But it was only one instance before, when he had upset Sakura on Valentine's Day. That biting feeling in his stomach had appeared the moment he caught sight of her glinting green eyes filled with tears.

"I can't really handle anything today," Sakura whispered. She lifted a hand to shield her misty, reddening eyes. Syaoran exhaled heavily, unsure of what to do. They weren't exactly friends, but now that he had chosen to confront Sakura about her emotions, the last thing he was going to do was leave her there.

"So… you're upset because you got cow eye juice on your face?"

Sakura seemed to nod and shake her head simultaneously; she shut her eyes and, much to Syaoran's dismay, began to sob. Syaoran had faced countless crying girls before, but he knew that this situation was completely different. This time, he couldn't just walk away from a crying girl. This girl was _Sakura_, and for some hazy reason, he couldn't allow himself to let her deal with the obscure heartache, all alone in the hallway.

She had put up an admirable fight, all these years. What was the use of having a rival who was emotionally unstable? Syaoran didn't think that would be very fun…

Or was he making excuses for himself?

"Alright." Syaoran stiffened in hesitation before he did what had once been unimaginable. He stepped toward Sakura and wrapped his arms around her. _What the hell am I doing?_ He swallowed with much difficulty as the girl tensed in shock. "I know, I know. This is weird, but you really look like you need one."

Sakura didn't return the hug, but didn't she pull away. Instead, she continued to cry into Syaoran's chest, a tornado of emotions sweeping her in all directions. As he felt the hot tears spread into the cotton of his shirt, Syaoran started to understand: This wasn't a petty sort of sobbing. It took control of Sakura's body and caused her to quake with sadness.

Then… he knew. He knew Sakura wasn't crying about the eyeball incident, not in the least. She was crying about something completely beyond that, and it was something Syaoran didn't bother to attempt to comprehend, because he knew he wouldn't be able to.

"I hardly remember her, but I still feel like a piece of me is missing."

Sakura had said enough. Syaoran thought back to the few times he had been to Sakura's house for rehearsal; not once had he encountered a Mrs. Kinomoto. The family never spoke of her, and he hadn't come across any pictures of her during his visits. A part of Syaoran wanted to ask what had happened to her mother, but he knew it would be wise to refrain from doing so.

"It's been exactly thirteen years." Sakura's small voice cracked. All of a sudden, she began to sob harder. Syaoran tightened his comforting hold on the girl and remained silent, his thoughts unspoken. But he wasn't thinking about Sakura's absent mother anymore, or how Sakura was ruining his shirt, or how they were probably going to get a detention for skipping class. He wasn't even thinking that it was so frighteningly out of character for him to be touching her like this.

He was only thinking about how he had never held a girl the way he was holding Sakura.

* * *

_What the hell…?_

Sakura stared at her feet with a furrowed brow as she made her way to her car. Tomoeda High's parking lot was nearly empty now. School had been let out over two hours ago, but Sakura and Syaoran had been caught in the hallway without passes, which promptly earned them both a detention.

She glanced at the boy walking near her, who seemed to be looking at anything but her. After Syaoran's unexpected comforting moment, they hadn't spoken to each other. They took care to distance themselves during detention, and they still didn't exchange a single word when they were granted the freedom to leave.

As Sakura finally made it to her car, she still sensed Syaoran's presence beside her. She tensed. _Is he seeing me off or something?_ The strange thought immediately whisked away from her mind as she noticed a bright yellow sticky note attached to the windshield of her car. She pulled the note away from the glass and quickly scanned it.

_Sakura—_  
_I tried waiting for you here after school, to see if you were okay from what happened earlier… but I guess you had matters to take care of. I just wanted to check up on you. I'm sorry I couldn't wait any longer. Something came up. I really hope you're feeling better. —Eriol_

Sakura nearly spazzed out as she noticed Syaoran reading the note over her shoulder. She glared at him, pocketing the note and beginning to rummage around her bag for her car keys.

"He likes you."

Sakura shook her head at Syaoran's words.

"No." Her hands finally grasped her keys, and she stared down at the shining keychain that Eriol had given her at the museum. "He's just being a good friend."

They hesitated for a moment, as if they were wondering if they should say goodbye to each other, but the moment slipped away in a mere blink. Their gazes disconnected as Sakura turned away, entered her car, and shut the door. Within the next few seconds, she was speeding off.

Syaoran followed her car with his eyes until it disappeared around a corner. He gave out a tired sigh and turned around to walk to his own car. He didn't want to think. He was afraid of what he would think.

* * *

There was a slight tremor in Sakura's hands, causing her keys to rattle together as she sought out the one that would open her front door. The spinning in her head and the stinging in her heart didn't help in her search. She was hurting— hurting in the same way she would hurt every year on this particular day. It hurt to know she had hardly known her mother and it hurt to know she never would. It hurt to feel as though a piece of her soul had been ripped out, never to be returned. Time couldn't erase that pain.

Why did Tomoyo have to go away for university campus visits _today_? Sakura wished she could invite herself over to her best friend's luxurious house and curl up on her silken bed, and cry and cry while Tomoyo held her. She banished those thoughts, feeling guilty and selfish. Tomoyo had already apologized for having to be out of town on the anniversary of Mrs. Kinomoto's death. Touya and Syaoran were right. She needed to stop thinking about herself more than others.

Her stomach gave a little lurch as she thought of the way Syaoran quietly held her in the hallways of their school. It was an unnerving thought and she didn't know what to think of it. The only thing that stuck to her mind was the fact that Syaoran smelled like soap. He didn't smell like cologne or Axe or aftershave. He smelled clean, and it had been oddly comforting to Sakura.

And then that note from Eriol… What was that all about? She sincerely wanted to believe that Syaoran was right, that Eriol _did_ like her— because as much as she hated it, Syaoran was right more often than not.

But at the moment, Sakura hardly cared about the two boys. There was only one person taking up the thoughts in her mind, and it was the one person she missed the most.

Sakura's keys slipped out of her fingers and clattered to the pavement, fanning out like silver puzzle pieces at her feet. She didn't bother to pick them up. A familiar lump rose to her throat and she suddenly let out a dry sob, shutting her eyes in fear of more tears.

A slight groan of aged wood sounded before her as the front door pulled open. Sakura reopened her eyes and meekly peered up at her brother, who she hadn't had a proper conversation with in over a week. Touya had one hand slinging a jacket over his shoulder and one hand still on the doorknob. He kept a careful gaze on Sakura as he slipped into his jacket, his usual steely expression softening as he took note of the tears in his sister's eyes.

Words were hardly useful in such situations. Touya knew very well what day it was, and he could have said, 'Is there anything I can do to cheer you up?' or 'It's okay, I know how you feel,' but he didn't. He didn't know how to cheer her up. He didn't know how Sakura felt— how she felt so empty because she hardly had recollections of her mother while he had a mind and heart full of memories of the woman who had brought them into this world.

So he didn't say anything at all.

Instead, he forgot all about his plans for the evening, gently guided Sakura into the house, and gathered her into his arms as she cried some more.

* * *

"Mommy!"

A little girl's voice rang throughout the Kinomoto household. A woman with silvery hair and eyes like jade bent down, welcoming the girl into her arms, capturing her in a tight embrace. Her smile was radiant, tender, and loving, much like her daughter's.

"How was your first day of kindergarten, dear?"

"Fun!" piped the small girl, running her tiny hands through her mother's long locks. She buried her face into the crook of the woman's collarbone, grinning and inhaling deeply. Her mother emanated the scent of nadeshiko flowers, a light and sweet fragrance. It was soothing to the girl, who remained completely oblivious to the tragedy that would soon whisk that familiar fragrance away from her.

"Tell me all about it, sweetheart."

"We introduced ourselves to all of our classmates, and I already know who my most favoritest classmate is. Her name is Tomoyo Daidouji, and she's really super pretty and nice— like the princesses in the fairy tales you always read to me— and we're going to be best friends for the rest of our lives! And then we did some spelling and addition, and— well, I think I'm the smartest kid there! Because I got the most gold stars today, and that means I'm at the top of the class!"

"Is that so? You make me so proud!"

"Uh huh! I like how it feels like being at the top of the class! But it makes me happier when you're proud, Mommy…" A giggle escaped the girl's lips. "I promise I'll always be the smartest student! So I can keep making you proud!"

Her mother held her tighter, as if she never wanted to lose her… but knowing very well that the day would come too soon.

* * *

**A/N: **Things are getting serious up in here! :o I told you that I would update one more time before Christmas~ anyway, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. I apologize if it seemed too short, because I feel like it was. So… I recently revised my fanfiction profile. I added a section containing details about the stories I am currently writing, and what to expect for the next chapter. If you're ever curious as to how my future chapters are coming along, just check my profile and it'll tell you how far I am in writing it, and tidbits about what the chapter will contain. Alright, I'll stop blabbering. Love you guys!


	7. the cheerless cheerleader

**Gallery of Broken Hearts**  
(07: the cheerless cheerleader)

A small grunt sounded from the back of Syaoran's throat as he slung his duffel bag over his shoulder. He walked away from his locker and in the direction of the soccer fields. In the past week, he had completely thrown himself into soccer practice and his studies— Yes, he had actually started _studying_ just for the sake of getting his mind off of things. His exhaustion from physically and mentally straining himself was beginning to show in his weary eyes, which were normally bright with spirited mischief.

_Four more months,_ he repeatedly assured himself in his mind. _Four more months, and you're out of this hell hole._

It had been exactly seven days since his awkward (or not-so-awkward, he couldn't really tell) embrace with Sakura, and even though he had wooed and kissed and felt up at least four girls within those seven days, his mind kept reeling back to his klutzy rival. He couldn't forget the way she stiffened in his arms before suddenly melting against him. He couldn't forget the way she shook like the temperature was below zero instead of seventy-five degrees. He couldn't forget absorbing the small lurches of sobs her body endured as he held her steady.

Why the hell couldn't he forget?

Well, it was simple, wasn't it? He had never _truly_ comforted anyone before— at least, as far as he could remember— and since it was his first time consoling someone, it was obviously going to remain a significant memory. What made it bothersome to him, however, was the fact that it had been Sakura. He didn't _have_ to hold her like that. He didn't _have_ to do anything at all. But he did, and he couldn't take it back, and now it was haunting him.

_She's just a girl, Syaoran._

Syaoran readjusted the straps of his bag, sighing as his thoughts continued to meander. His bickering with Sakura had definitely lessened since that moment in the hallway. Since then, they had hardly spoken to each other unless it had to do with History or their skit for Drama. It was almost as if they had run out of witty banter, and Syaoran hated to admit that he kind of missed it.

_She's just a girl, Syaoran. She's just—_

"Do you like her?"

Syaoran froze. His grip on his bag tightened subconsciously as he realized there were voices echoing in the hall around the corner. Relief shot through his body, thankful that the question hadn't been directed at him, but rather…

"Eriol, please answer me."

"We're not going to talk about this, Aiko."

Syaoran raised his eyebrows, wondering if he should walk in the other direction or stay and listen to their little chat. He opted for the latter, deciding it was an opportunity to pick up any resourceful information about Sakura's wannabe prince. He could hear every ounce of emotion in the former couple's voices— Aiko seemed to be on the verge of crying, and Eriol seemed to be on the verge of losing his patience.

"All I wanted to do was love you, Eriol!"

"But all you ever did was suffocate me."

"W-what?"

"I'm sorry, but it was too much of a hassle being your boyfriend…"

"A _hassle_…?"

"You were always getting on my case. You were always trying to have me all to yourself."

"Why didn't you just tell me that in the first place? Why couldn't we have worked it out? You didn't seem to want to end our relationship until you caught me with Syaoran—"

At this point, Syaoran was holding his breath.

"—which I'm still so, so sorry for, Eriol! You don't know how guilty I feel because of that, but Syaoran was—"

"Syaoran was doing it for me."

_Holy shit._ Syaoran's mind went numb, and he found himself pressing his back against the wall in dread, internally cursing the world over and over again. _What the hell, Eriol?_

"W-what do you m-mean?"

"I paid him to help me break up with you. It was… easier that way."

"_Easier_ that way?"

"I'm sorry, Aiko. I didn't need one more thing stressing me out."

"You're not sorry at all! Tell me, Eriol: What do you see in Sakura? She's a beautiful and smart girl, but she doesn't love you like I do…"

"Sakura is the kind of girl that…" There was a pause here, and Syaoran wished he could sneak a peek at whatever look was occupying Eriol's face at the moment, but he didn't want to risk it. "She's the kind of girl that _doesn't_ stress me out. And she's been really obvious with her feelings all year. I wanted to give her a chance. She's too afraid to mess up with me to be clingy… and this may sound horrible of me, but I like that. It might just be exactly what I need."

Annoyance began to pulse through Syaoran's bloodstream, and he decided he had heard enough. He stopped straining to hear the conversation and resumed his way to the soccer field, where he would kick ass and take names and forget all about anything that could possibly piss him off. He wasn't even worried about his business. He knew that Aiko wouldn't report him to the principal. First of all, she had no idea that she held a golden snippet of information, and wasn't nearly as smart enough to use it to her advantage. Second, she didn't have any proof, and Syaoran knew that she didn't want revenge on him.

All Aiko Takahashi wanted was Eriol Hiiragizawa.

* * *

Sakura reached up and tied her wavy hair into a ponytail, surveying the girls that were stretching on the grass around her. She sported the same outfit as the rest of the cheerleading team: A light blue tank top with a bright yellow 'T' dashing across the middle, dark blue spandex shorts that ended at the upper thigh, and white tennis shoes.

She squinted her eyes, counted the girls, and made several marks on a clipboard.

"Has anyone seen Aiko?" Sakura questioned, and the girls continued to chatter amongst themselves as if they hadn't heard her. Sakura cleared her throat and her voice rose a decibel. "Has _anyone_ seen_ Aiko_?"

The chitchat momentarily subsided as the girls murmured "Nope," and "No," shaking their heads cluelessly. Their talking highered in volume once more as Sakura took a moment to drift away into her thoughts. It was unusual for Aiko to be late or absent to cheerleading practice— she was normally the first one there, and she was always the peppiest of the bunch. Sakura wondered if something had happened with Eriol, but she tossed the idea from her mind. Whatever the reason was, it wasn't going to change the fact that Aiko was a no-show for practice.

"Alright, girls!" Sakura called out, setting down her clipboard and clapping her hands to catch their attention. "Before we start practice, we're going to take a few photos for the yearbook. Someone from the yearbook committee will be stopping by in a few minutes, so until then, we can practice our pyramid formation for the picture."

"But what about Aiko?" one of the cheerleaders piped, resting her fists against her hips. "It's going to be, like… lopsided without her."

"We'll make it work, okay?" Sakura replied, mirroring the girl's pose and grinning to hide her growing vexation. The girls heeded Sakura's orders, gathering into their proper positions for the pyramid.

The first row of the pyramid consisted of the five strongest girls on the team. On the second row, there were three girls; above them, two. Sakura bit her lip in determination as she cautiously made her way to the top of the pyramid, taking care not to step on anyone with too much pressure.

"You're lucky you're almost as light as Teeny Takahashi," one of the girls grunted under Sakura's weight, giggling at her use of Aiko's popular nickname. The other girls rolled their eyes as they chuckled as well. Sakura ignored their attempts at being witty— she liked these girls, but sometimes they tried too hard to be cute and funny.

She placed either knee on the backs of the two girls below her, steadying herself and breathing slowly. She smiled as the pyramid neither swayed nor fell apart, maintaining perfect balance. A student from the yearbook committee finally approached them, adjusting the lens of his camera and beaming at the pyramid of girls.

"Wow," Yearbook Committee Boy breathed, his eyes practically reflecting spinning stars of awe as he gazed at the stack of toned girls presented before him.

"Hey, dude!" Sakura waved at him from the top of the pyramid, snapping him out of his fantasyland. "Just take the picture, okay? Then you can stare at it all you want."

"Uh, y-yes, sure," Yearbook Committee Boy replied, flushing scarlet in embarrassment as the pyramid erupted with high-pitched laughter and whispers. He brought the camera to his face and resumed adjusting the settings, taking several test shots. The cheerleaders beneath Sakura continued to prattle endlessly, and Sakura overhead several of their cheeky whispers.

"… You know who I would _love_ to pose in front of a camera for?"

"In nothing but your pom-poms?"

"Okay, girls, on the count of three—"

"Oh, you dirty little _minx_—"

"One…"

"Who?"

"Isn't the answer obvious? He's only the hottest guy in school."

"Two…"

"Syaoran Li?"

Sakura's eyes widened. She felt her heart rise to her throat and plummet all the way down to her feet.

"… Three!"

_Click._

A scream remained strangled in Sakura's throat as her body swayed unsteadily, causing her to tumble off the pyramid. The other cheerleaders shrieked in shock, wavering from their positions and crumbling to the ground. Sakura winced and slowly hauled herself up, rubbing the shoulder she had landed on. There would be an ugly bruise spreading across her skin later on, but at least she hadn't broken anything.

"Is everyone okay?" Sakura asked worriedly, reaching out and helping several of the girls to their feet. Everyone nodded as they dusted off, swiping the grass away from their hair and attire. Sakura sighed, glancing at the photographer apologetically. "We're going to have to try that pose again."

There was a hint of perverted delight hidden behind Yearbook Committee Boy's eyes. He nodded and lifted the camera once more.

* * *

_Finally, a moment of peace._

In spite of the air being stuffy and a little too warm in the girls' locker room, it temporarily served as a haven for Sakura after a long afternoon of performing her duties as cheer captain. The rest of the cheerleaders had already left, letting Sakura relish a few quiet moments.

She exhaled in exhaustion as she draped her towel around her neck. It had been a tough practice— attendance hadn't been perfect and some girls had decided to be particularly bitchy today— but at least they were able to get a lot done. Her spirits sank as she thought of the pile of homework waiting for her at home. It was scary to think about how her spot for valedictorian could be instantaneously whisked away by a certain overconfident casanova.

As Sakura rose from one of the metal benches with the intention of locking up, she heard a pattering sound in the distance. She immediately froze until curiosity overrode her initial fear. With cautious and ginger steps, Sakura followed the noise all the way into the shower room, where the sound of rushing water became more evident.

While most of the stalls were vacant, one stall remained occupied with the door shut and the shower on full blast. Sakura's confusion grew by the second as she stood before the stall. Her gaze traveled from the visible shower head on the wall, down to the water swirling into the drain on the ground. She tweaked her head to the side, peering at a pair of freckled feet curled over the tile. The door blocked her from being able to see anything else.

But she _could_ hear, and amidst the noise of surging water echoing throughout the locker room— she heard weeping.

"Hello?" Sakura asked softly, and nothing changed. The shower didn't stop and neither did the crying. She pursed her lips before trying again, reaching a hand toward the closed door. "Are you—"

As her hand made contact with the door, it slowly swung forward, revealing a small girl crouched over the drain, fully-clothed, hugging her knees drawn to her chest. She concealed her face in her arms, sobbing as the water pelted down on her. Her long hair slithered over her shoulders and back, limp and dripping.

"Aiko…" Sakura dropped to her knees before the girl, feeling an onslaught of water suddenly pouring upon her. She rested a hand against the crying girl's arm. Aiko's head lifted, and Sakura found herself fighting back her own tears as she looked into baby blue eyes filled with heartache. She couldn't distinguish the girl's tears from the shower water.

For a long time, Aiko said nothing. The girls sat on the tiled floor, cold and drenched and silent for ten minutes until Aiko parted her lips and began to speak. Her words were quiet, so Sakura had to strain in order to hear them.

"He made me really happy," she started shakily, biting her lower lip before continuing. Her body jerked slightly with a sob. "B-but I… I was so _draining_ to him… I was a burden."

Sakura's brows met in concern, and her hold on the other girl's arm tightened comfortingly.

"Then, Syaoran…" Aiko's voice croaked for a moment. "For a little bit, for just a few minutes, he made me feel the total opposite— like he _wanted_ me—" Her face was pinched with distress and her breaths were ragged. "How could I be so stupid? I didn't even know I was about to— to kiss him—"

Sakura shook her head and leaned forward, pulling Aiko into her arms, hushing her soothingly. "Shh… Aiko, you're not stupid," she told her firmly. She reached up with one hand and quickly twisted a knob, blocking the rush of water, and in an instant the shower room no longer echoed with noise, save for Aiko's sobs and the occasional dripping sound.

"Syaoran's an ass," Sakura whispered, though guilt infested her insides as she thought about the deal she had made with him. All she wanted was a chance with Eriol, but at what cost? She had unintentionally hurt another girl in the process… a girl who probably wanted Eriol more than she did. Now, as she held a shivering, broken heart in her arms, she could see that it wasn't worth it.

It wasn't worth it at all.

* * *

Sakura hugged her books to her chest, pursing her lips and narrowing her eyes in thought as she made her way to the parking lot. Her hair and clothes were still damp, but she didn't care. All she cared about was getting home as soon as possible so that she could take a proper, warm shower and work on homework and drink hot tea and forget about everything else.

But of course, something— or rather, someone— had to stand in the way of what she wanted.

"Why are you all wet?" came an amused voice, and Sakura felt her skin prickle with aggravation.

"It's none of your business, Syaoran," muttered Sakura, refusing to make eye contact with him as she trudged her way across the parking lot. She huffed, repositioning the books in her arms to make them easier to carry.

Syaoran took note of her grumpiness and vexed eyes. He continued to follow her. "Do you need help with those?"

"No," Sakura replied shortly, freeing a hand to fumble with the keys attached to her carabiner. She unlocked her car and tossed her books into the backseat, sighing. Then she turned to face Syaoran and irritably said, "You know, you should stop following me around."

There was a split second in which Syaoran flashed her a perplexed look, but it was soon replaced with an expression of exasperation. "I don't _follow_ you around, Sakura. You just happen to be everywhere I am."

"That's a bunch of crap and you know it," Sakura retorted, her frustration steadily increasing. "We shouldn't be_ friendly_ with each other, Syaoran! We're_ rivals_! That's the way it's always been, and that's the way it should stay! We're not meant to be friends, we're too different and— and you're too much of an asshole."

Sakura hadn't meant to sound so harsh, but her words were spilling out of her mouth like sand sifting through clasped fingers. She couldn't stop thinking about the tortured look in Aiko's eyes— the masked tears, the frigid shower water in which Aiko had tried numbing and drowning her pain. It didn't _matter_ what people said about high school relationships and how they were pointless and naive— a broken heart was still one of the worst pains a human could ever endure.

"_What_?" Syaoran was clearly offended by Sakura's slip of words. He narrowed his eyes at her. "Sakura, _forgive_ me for trying to be civil to you once in a while. Why do you always try to see me as some completely heartless jerk? Yeah, I'm not a saint. But I'm not a _total_ asshole, either. If I were really an asshole, I wouldn't have tried comforting you in the hall last week. And last month, I wouldn't have tried making your oh-so-depressing Valentine's Day _bearable_ for you if I didn't care about you at least a _little_ bit." Syaoran's voice rose and he angrily pushed away the brown bangs that had begun to fall over his piercing eyes. "I go around breaking hearts. Yeah. It's _wrong_. But at least I don't act like I'm innocent when I'm not. I can own up to my faults, unlike you."

Although Sakura matched Syaoran's glare with slitted eyes of her own, she understood that Syaoran wasn't a complete jerk. In their strained relationship, he had been there for her more than she had been there for him. But at the moment, she hardly cared. She didn't want to admit that she was wrong about some aspects of him. She didn't want to be wrong. She never wanted to be wrong.

"I'm not afraid of being who I am," Syaoran continued heatedly. "But you are. You hold back so much of your personality while you're with Eriol, you're like a fucking piece of cardboard, and it's pathetic! What makes it even more pathetic is that he _likes_ it."

Sakura felt her breath catch in her throat at Syaoran's words. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"I overheard him talking to Aiko." Syaoran snapped his angered eyes away from Sakura, shaking his head as he recalled the conversation between the exes. "He hated how Aiko always clung to him. Oh, but he loves the fact that you have him on a goddamn pedestal. Like he's a fucking prince. He _enjoys_ girls that are more soft-spoken and hardly voice their opinions, apparently." Syaoran connected gazes with Sakura once more. She was tearing up. Again. "But the thing is, Sakura, you're _not_ soft-spoken! I'm learning more and more about you and… it's driving me nuts! The real you is loud and a pain in the ass, but you're _bright_ and _genuine_ when you're like that. When you're with Eriol, you're dull!"

"You're lying," Sakura spat, and Syaoran was taken aback at her disbelief in his words and refusal to accept the truth. "If Eriol likes me, then he likes me for _me_, not who I pretend to be." Her lower lip trembled as her glare intensified. "You just want to ruin me by making me believe Eriol's less of a man than I think he is, don't you? With your rival _heartbroken_ and unable to concentrate, it'd be easier to beat me for the spot of valedictorian, wouldn't it?"

"This has _nothing_ to do with becoming valedictorian, Sakura! I'm trying to warn you about Eriol," Syaoran growled. "You just can't accept that I can be an okay guy. You've spent so long thinking that I _like_ going around hurting people, but I don't, Sakura. I don't! You want so badly for me to be a jerk so that people can prefer you over me, and guess what?" Syaoran let out a sharp breath. "They _do_. They do prefer you, because you have this goddamn _facade_ of innocence and sweetness, when you really are just a spoiled, little girl who can't _stand_ not getting atten—"

The side of Syaoran's face suddenly swelled and burned with an abrupt pain. He stared at Sakura with wide eyes as she drew her hand back to pull open her car door, dropped herself into the driver's seat and quickly drove away.

* * *

Sakura rolled down every window in her car and blasted the radio. Her hair was whipping in the wind and her cheeks were turning red and her entire face was contorted with anger— anger toward Syaoran, anger toward Eriol, anger toward the rest of the world and most of all, anger toward her _herself_. She had never been yelled at like that in her entire life, and she certainly hadn't slapped anyone before. Her head throbbed as the blaring music rammed itself into her ears, its heavy beat pulsing through her body.

Syaoran was under the impression that he understood every single one of her thoughts, but he _didn't_. Not at all. He didn't see Aiko's breakdown. He didn't know what he had done. How many girls fell apart like Aiko upon experiencing Syaoran's manipulation? How many tears had they shed? How many sleepless nights had they endured? Sakura felt sick simply thinking of the idea. She was feeling so many emotions at once, when all she wanted to do was go home and be warm.

But life had a way of throwing her curve balls, and she was about to face yet another one.

As Sakura pulled into her driveway, she felt her heart sink when she noticed a certain prince-like individual standing on her front porch. _No,_ she thought, feeling her throat close up. _This can't be happening._

Sakura slowly stepped out of her car and made her way to the front door. She bit her lower lip as her eyes connected with Eriol's. He was smiling. He held a rose in his hand. It was unbelievable.

"Eriol," Sakura finally said, looking at him with wide eyes and raised brows. "What are you doing here?"

The young man looked at her with gentle eyes— eyes that made her tremble. A part of her wanted to fall into his arms and cry, but the other part of her was screaming to get the hell out of there and drive away. She didn't do either one.

"I was wondering if you wanted to catch dinner and a movie," Eriol told her charmingly, lifting the rose and offering it to her in one, swift motion. Sakura gulped. "I know it's short notice, but I was hoping you'd like to spend your Friday evening with me."

Sakura stared at him in disbelief. He was saying and doing everything she had been dreaming of for nearly a year now, but as she thought of Eriol's deal with Syaoran and Aiko's pain and her insecure moments at the exhibit… a realization dawned upon her.

Her words turned into sand again, falling through her hands before she could think twice. "Why would you pay Syaoran instead of breaking up with Aiko the mature way?"

The unexpected question made Eriol blink in shock, and he lowered the rose as he delivered Sakura a look of confusion. "I don't think that's any of your business, Sakura."

Suddenly, Sakura let out a bitter laugh, scaring herself. She was being very impulsive but she couldn't stop. "You can't tell someone to stay out of your business when you _pay_ others to step into your personal matters! Aiko would have understood if you broke up with her the right way. She'd still be hurt, but she wouldn't be a _wreck_ like she is now!"

Eriol stepped back from the raging girl, his eyes suddenly filling with concern. "She's… a wreck?"

"Of _course_, damn it! She really cares about you, Eriol. She really likes you. And who could blame her? You're polite and sweet and intelligent and so, so handsome." Sakura couldn't believe the words flying out of her mouth. All year, she hadn't been able to carry a proper conversation with Eriol, and now she was shouting at him, lecturing him. "But even with all that, you still couldn't be enough of a man to tell Aiko that she was practically strangling you. You had to get someone else to do all the work for you." She gulped again, and felt something within her rip a little as she quietly said, "Aiko loved you with all of her heart. She may have annoyed you, but at least she didn't hold back. But I… I don't think I'll ever stop holding back when it comes to you. We wouldn't work. I should be with a guy who likes me for who I am… not for who I hide while I'm with him."

Sakura meekly peered into Eriol's eyes. He looked hurt, startled, and a plethora of other emotions that Sakura had never witnessed him display before. Syaoran's words returned to her mind. Now she knew how true they were.

"But… Sakura…" Eriol's voice was soft, and his gaze bore right into hers. "I think… I think I like _you_."

And there they were, the words Sakura had dreamed of for months on end. But she didn't feel the way she expected to feel. She didn't feel her heart nearly explode with joy. She didn't leap into Eriol's arms and say the words back. She only felt a rush of guilt weighing her down.

It wasn't real.

"You have no idea how much of a pain in the ass I can be," Sakura whispered, dropping her gaze to the ground. "And the truth is… you hardly know me. I know you wouldn't like the _real_ me. The childish me. The one who doesn't hold back. If Aiko was too dramatic for you, then you wouldn't be able to handle me at all." She expelled a shaky sigh, feeling her body grow cold. "I'm sorry, Eriol. But you should leave."

At this point, Eriol's expression was unreadable. His stormy eyes were partially shielded by a glare of light reflecting against his glasses. After the heat from Sakura's rant dispersed from the air, he nodded once to excuse himself, and left.

* * *

**A/N:** So that was my final update before the end of the year, as promised! I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas! Have a safe and wonderful New Years. See you in 2011. :)


	8. the midnight visit

**Gallery of Broken Hearts**  
(08: the midnight visit)

The following week was a complete blur for Sakura, literally and figuratively. She spent majority of her time avoiding everyone and being a drone in class, and whenever she was at home, she was lying in bed with tears flowing from her eyes. It was far from easy, accepting that she had to let go of her feelings for Eriol. It wasn't right for her to give her heart to someone who supported something she so strongly stood against. It wasn't right for her to give her heart to someone who didn't like her for who she really was.

She didn't want to risk enduring the same heartache as Aiko.

But she was still broken, all the same.

What if she had accepted Eriol's offer? What if it turned out to be a wonderful night? What if he wanted her to become his girlfriend? She had to constantly shake these thoughts from her mind, only for them to return to her once more. It tortured her. She wished she cared less. She wished she didn't have to feel, and she was starting to think her dark wish was coming true, because over half the time she felt numb.

Her numbness momentarily subsided as she felt a hand on her shoulder. Her eyes traveled over the hand and the arm attached to it, eventually meeting Syaoran's gaze. She retreated from his touch, but didn't show any signs of aggression or anger. She merely looked away and stared at the door of her next class, wishing her teacher would just show up already. No such luck.

"Can I talk to you?" Syaoran asked, examining her exhausted appearance as he stood next to her. His mind unwillingly replayed their argument from last Friday. He had always wanted to be better than her in every way, but now that his competition was completely drained, he felt… well, he didn't really have a word for it.

Sakura neglected to answer him. Syaoran sighed and checked his watch. The bell would ring soon. If he didn't say what he needed to say now, it would have to wait until later, but his suddenly heavy conscience wouldn't be able to bear it.

"You don't have to say anything— just hear me out." Syaoran steadied his eyes on Sakura, crumbling a little when she kept her gaze away from him. "I shouldn't have blown up on you last week. Because you're… you're right. I'm an asshole. There's no denying it, really… and I'm sorry. And I'm sorry for having to be sorry."

A shrill tolling sound rang out through the campus. Sakura's teacher arrived, and Syaoran watched as Sakura silently made her way into the classroom. He wondered if his apology had made even the _tiniest_ dent in her stony disposition. His breath stuck in his throat as she gave him one, quick glance before disappearing into the room.

* * *

It was one of the few times Sakura wasn't spending lunch in the cafeteria with Tomoyo. And it was clearly pitiful, the way she was letting herself drown so deep in her sorrow, but she didn't feel strong enough to pull herself out of the depressing daze. She took comfort in being alone in the empty hallway, sitting on the pavement against the stone walls, facing the rusted line of lockers stretching before her. She could hear the voices of her peers in the distance, and she was okay with feeling so far and disconnected.

Her eyes misted over and she gulped. It was funny how she seemed to have an endless supply of tears.

"Are you okay?"

Sakura's head snapped up at the sudden voice, and she hastily wiped away the tears trickling down her cheeks. She met eyes of a swirling goldenrod hue, like deep honey sifting through tiny crystals of brown sugar. A boy who seemed vaguely familiar was now crouching down to meet her at eye level. He had jagged black hair and light skin with even lighter freckles.

His concerned face broke out into soft, kind grin, and Sakura couldn't help smile weakly in return.

"I wish," she told him, speaking for the first time that day, surprising herself. The boy sat on the ground in front of her and stuck out his hand.

"Ryo," he introduced himself, and his handshake was warm and firm as Sakura slid her hand into his. When their hands drew back, he asked, "Sakura, right? You're in Drama club… and my History class?"

"Yeah."

"I know you hardly know me," Ryo began, anxiously surveying her slightly reddened eyes and tired demeanor, "but do you wanna talk about it? I'm a good listener."

Normally, Sakura would reject this type of offer, especially since she had just met the guy. She rarely opened up to someone she wasn't close to. However, she felt oddly at ease with Ryo, as if he had the potential of becoming a good friend of hers. It was one of _those_ notions— a challenge to explain in mere words, but it was a positive feeling that Sakura didn't want to ignore.

And so, she began to talk.

* * *

Syaoran ran his towel over his face, catching the beads of sweat that had gathered on his flushed skin. He lifted a water bottle and brought it to his parched mouth, finishing off whatever amount had been left inside. As he swung the towel over his shoulder and shielded his eyes from the afternoon sun, he caught sight of a familiar girl walking past the soccer field and toward the school's parking lot. Her hair billowed over her shoulders like black satin ribbons in the April breeze.

He knew she was still on campus because she was the head of Tomoeda High's choir, and their group met around the same time as soccer practice normally occurred. The timing couldn't have been more convenient.

"Tomoyo!" Syaoran shouted, tossing a wave of goodbye to his teammates before bounding over to the ethereal girl. She stopped walking and stared at him with inquisitive, jewel-like eyes as she waited for him to catch his breath. "Can I… ask you something?"

"It's about Sakura, right?" Tomoyo's reply was soft and knowing. A gentle, sympathetic smile appeared on her lips. Syaoran's brows met in concern and he nodded. Tomoyo appeared to be an expert at reading people, at least, people she knew for quite a while.

"Did something happen to her?" Syaoran asked, pulling his gaze away from Tomoyo's, because she seemed to be reading his internal thought process like a simple children's book. He felt slightly embarrassed approaching Tomoyo for information about Sakura, mostly because it indicated that he possibly _cared_. He swallowed thickly before continuing. "I made her upset last week, so upset that she slapped me. And yeah, I deserved it. I apologized this morning, but during History class she still seemed really sad. So I feel like she's upset about something else, something that's making her act like a total zombie."

"You're right. She's really hurting right now. I've actually offered to let her sleep over at my place a few times, but she said she'd rather stay home…" Tomoyo sighed, her faint smile vanishing from her fair-skinned face. "She told me all about it. About the argument in the parking lot. That's the only part you know about. But what you don't know is what she had to deal with afterward."

"What happened?" Syaoran asked, his voice quiet. He dared to stare Tomoyo again, bracing himself for her answer. "Is it okay for me to know?"

Tomoyo hesitated for a moment, but she continued, as if she decided that it would only help him see Sakura's pain a little clearer. "After you two argued, she drove home and found Eriol waiting on her front porch."

"Eriol?"

"He asked her out, but she said no."

"But she…" Syaoran was taken aback, and for a while he couldn't formulate a proper response. The best he could muster was, "Why the flying fuck would she do that?"

Syaoran's sudden profane outburst didn't faze Tomoyo. "Any guy can be sweet and charming during a relationship. But if he can't end it like a real man, he's not worth it."

Syaoran only stared at her. Tomoyo began to elaborate.

"She was crazy about him, yes. And you have no idea how difficult it was for her to deny the boy she had been crushing on for over a year now. But she realized she couldn't be with someone that was willing to use money to help him with a breakup. Most girls want a guy like Eriol— kind, understanding, warm. But in spite of having all of those qualities, Eriol _still_ didn't have enough courage to break up with Aiko the right way. If Sakura were to date Eriol, she wouldn't want to end up as hurt as Aiko if the relationship ended. Maybe it'll help you understand her, now that you know." Tomoyo crossed her arms in front of her chest and looked off into the distance, her mouth beginning to feel dry from speaking so much. She shook her head in disappointment. "You two could have been great friends, all this time! But your rivalry is such a hindrance…"

"Believe me, I'm aware of that," Syaoran admitted, following Tomoyo's eyes toward nothing in particular. "But we're too used to our rivalry. It's too hard to suddenly become friends."

"You should try to be her friend," Tomoyo returned her gaze to Syaoran, her expression piercing this time, and he withered shamefully under her powered stare. "She really does have a good heart with good intentions. You need someone like that in your life, don't you?"

Syaoran was silent for a while. The image of Sakura flourished in his mind, with her bright eyes and equally bright smile and sweet laugh. She was so unlike him in terms of morals, but after all these years, their academic goals remained identical. They both wanted to succeed. Without her as a rival, he wouldn't have pushed himself to be the best. Did they need each other, in some sort of twisted way?

_You need someone like that in your life, don't you?_

"Yeah," Syaoran finally agreed, feeling a pang deep within his chest, and he didn't know what it was. In fact, that little pain had been there for quite some time, but he was very good at avoiding it, because it was the one thing he was afraid of the most.

* * *

The moon hung in the sky like a sliver of white chocolate, creamy and lustrous against the black night. Syaoran was typically in bed by this hour, but he couldn't sleep, so he chose to take a long walk instead. He decided he preferred midnight strolls instead of lying in bed all night and staring at his ceiling, counting the cracks and letting the shadows mess with his brain.

He kicked at a pebble resting upon the sidewalk, watching it skid across the pavement and land on a particular house's front lawn. Syaoran let out a sigh, shivering slightly in the chill, lifting his head to trail his eyes along the house's walls, keeping a lingering gaze on the window with purple curtains on the second story.

Before he realized what he was doing, he was walking up to the oak tree standing parallel to the house, expertly grabbing at its bark and scaling the thick trunk. He pulled himself onto the branch adjacent to the window and sat there, noticing that the window had been left open for the breeze to tumble in. The curtains swayed to and fro. Syaoran felt his stomach churn when he heard a soft sniffling noise.

_She might throw me out the window and kill me if I do this,_ he thought gravely, but he decided to take his chances.

He climbed into the bedroom. The moment his shoes met the carpet, a surprised gasp sounded from Sakura's bed, and something hard, blocky and heavy smashed against the side of his waist.

"—_fucking shitfuck_!" Syaoran cursed and doubled over in pain, eyeing Sakura's weapon of choice: a Calculus textbook. It had toppled to the ground after hitting him. After recognizing Syaoran, Sakura gasped again, rising from her bed and shuffling over to him in shock.

"It's past midnight!" Sakura whispered harshly at him, and in the moonlight Syaoran could see tears glittering in her eyes. She didn't bother to apologize for throwing a book at him, considering she had every right to defend herself if she thought she was in danger. But it hadn't been a burglar. Just Syaoran. (And the only thing he'd ever steal were hearts.)

"I know," Syaoran grumbled, bringing a hand to his side, knowing without a doubt that there would be an ugly bruise staining his waist in the morning. He winced, but tried his best to forget the soreness. He straightened his posture, watching Sakura return to her bed and hug a pillow to her chest. She didn't seem to care about his intrusion anymore; she didn't seem to care about anything at all. She appeared too tired to use any energy to be angry at him, and the exhaustion was evident in the faint, dusky rings beneath her eyes.

After nearly a minute of silence, Sakura quietly asked, "Why are you here?"

She didn't look at him. She merely stared into her pillow, running her hands along the pink frills. Syaoran grimaced and leaned against her desk, giving a quick shrug.

"You finally had the chance to be with him," he began cautiously, watching her expression darken through the corner of his eyes, "but you rejected him."

Sakura didn't reply.

"It must've hurt," Syaoran continued in a mere mumble, hesitating on his spot at the desk as he heard Sakura begin to choke up. "But I know why you did it. You're better than that. You deserve more than a guy who's willing to pay an asshole like me for help."

There wasn't a single trace of sarcasm or insincerity in Syaoran's voice, and Sakura took note of it. She buried her head into the pillow in her arms, feeling the material soak up the tears gathering at her eyes.

"I'm going to die an old, lonely virgin," she groaned pathetically, her voice muffled by the pillow. Syaoran couldn't help but sniff in amusement and roll his eyes. He pushed away from the desk and neared Sakura, taking a chance and sitting at the edge of her bed. She didn't bother to protest; she was too busy wallowing in her sorrow.

"Don't even say that," he told her, shaking his head. "Are you really that insecure about your virginity?" When Sakura neglected to answer, Syaoran took a moment to emit a long exhale, preparing himself to confess the words he never thought he would utter, especially to Sakura. "You know, I'm a virgin, too. And it's nothing to be ashamed of."

Sakura lifted her head from the pillow, staring at him with unblinking, unbelieving eyes. "I appreciate you trying to cheer me up, Syaoran, but you don't have to _lie_ to me."

"I'm not lying," Syaoran protested, lifting his hands innocently, as though he had been accused of a crime he didn't commit. "It's impossible to believe, isn't it? Because of my business and reputation with girls and all that… but it's the truth. I'll never have the heart to go that far with a girl for business."

"Well," Sakura began, not indicating whether she believed him or not, "at least you've had your first kiss."

Syaoran bit his tongue as he watched Sakura sink into her other pillows. She pulled her blanket over her shoulders and sighed tiredly. Syaoran wondered if she was seriously going to fall asleep at that very moment. But even as her face reflected misery and fatigue, she showed no signs of shuteye anytime soon. Perhaps being under her covers gave her a sense of comfort— something she was in desperate need of.

There was a peculiar, serene silence between them… a type of silence that they had never shared during their history together. It was almost as though the dead of night tamed them. With everything cloaked in darkness, they didn't seem to have anything to hide from one another.

Sakura felt a little uncertain of herself as she stared up at Syaoran and meekly asked, "Can you stay here until I fall asleep?"

Syaoran blinked at her, bewildered. He hid his look of astonishment by turning his head away and letting the shadows cast over his face. Eventually, he nodded. Never in a million years had he ever expected to be consoling Sakura in her room, in the middle of the night, keeping an eye on her until slumber set in. But here he was, sitting at the very edge of her bed, watching his lifelong rival break down her protective barriers. He told himself that she was only showing him her vulnerable side because she needed someone, _anyone_— and he just so happened to be there at the right time. This didn't mean they were suddenly friends, but…

_You should try to be her friend._ Tomoyo's words echoed in his mind. _You need someone like that in your life._

His thoughts shattered and he nearly leaped out of his skin as Sakura suddenly let out a sob, which she quickly smothered by clamping a hand over her mouth. Syaoran's brows met apprehensively, and he reached out to gently rest a hand against Sakura's trembling shoulder.

"I feel so stupid." Her words barely reached him; each syllable quaked with heartache and regret. Syaoran couldn't relate to the notion of a broken heart, but as he felt Sakura's shudders beneath his hand, he started to understand how truly wrenching it was.

"You're a lot of things, Sakura. Childish, loud, and pretty damn annoying when you want to be," he told her, his voice soft and low and steady. "But you are _not_ stupid, and you're going to make a guy really happy one day."

His heart began to race as he realized he was treading foreign, unfamiliar personal territory. Sure, he had comforted her on the anniversary of her mother's death, which was a very big deal, but they had hardly spoken about that matter and this was a different situation. She was a teenage girl who had given up a longtime love interest, and anyone who understood teenage girls would know how difficult letting go could be.

The wind outside began to pick up, fluttering Sakura's curtains and sending a shiver through her body. Syaoran tucked the sheets more securely around the girl's thin frame. He added, "And I'm willing to bet on that, if you want."

"I'll never make another deal with you," Sakura grumbled. Syaoran sighed in relief as a tiny smile appeared on her tired face. After a moment of more silence, with Sakura snuggling against her pillow and Syaoran simply sitting beside her, Sakura asked, "Can you tell me a story to help me fall asleep?"

"What are you, three years old?" Syaoran teased, and noticed Sakura pout at him in the dark. Giving in, he asked, "What kind of story?"

"Tell me about your first kiss."

"Uh," Syaoran felt his face grow warmer, and he wondered if he was blushing. He didn't know, but it didn't matter in the dark. He nearly refused to reveal the story, but then he changed his mind and quietly began. "It was years ago, even before middle school. It was one of those childish flings… the boy thinks the girl is pretty, the girl thinks the boy is cute— that sort of thing. Her name was Minako Hashimoto. She had red hair and really pale brown eyes. On the last day of fifth grade, she came to me in tears, telling me that she was moving away to France because of her father's job, but she didn't want to go because that meant leaving me behind."

Sakura smiled, her eyelids growing heavier. Syaoran continued. "So I said to her, 'Well, you wouldn't have to go if you had someone to take care of you here, right? Why don't we get married? I'll be your husband and I'll take really good care of you!'" Syaoran chuckled and stared down at his hands, shaking his head as he delved into his memories. "That made her really happy, because she was into stuff like that. But deep down inside, I wasn't that naive. I knew she wouldn't be able to stay in the end, but I wanted to give her one last good memory of me. So the day before she moved, we had our little pretend-wedding. I gave her one of those dinky twenty-five cent rings from the toy machine in the old convenience store. I told her that my heart belonged to her forever, and leaned in and… well, it was really slobbery and embarrassing."

Syaoran held back a laugh, anxiously scratching the back of his head. He hadn't heard from her since then.

"That's really cute…" Sakura murmured, her smile softening and a small yawn escaping her lips. Syaoran kept his gaze fixed on her, and suddenly found himself straining every muscle in his mouth to keep from saying, '_No, _you're_ cute._'

He mentally reprimanded himself. _What the hell, Syaoran?_ But there was no denying it anymore— he was definitely thinking it.

"Have I bored you enough for you to fall asleep?" Syaoran jokingly asked her, handing her the teddy bear from the foot of her bed as she sleepily reached for it. She embraced it tightly, yawning once more.

"Thank you, Syaoran…" Sakura mumbled into the teddy bear's head, her eyes closing.

The small pang from earlier that day returned to his chest, and Syaoran willed for it to leave. He didn't want to know what he was feeling. He didn't want to feel it at all. But it was there, and it was getting worse, and he had no choice but to embrace it, or let it torture him.

"No problem," Syaoran whispered, as though any louder volume would wreck his progress in lulling and relaxing her. He paused, pensive and tense, before quietly saying, "We're friends… right?"

It was an idea that the both of them had detested for so long, but as the question dangled in the air like a flickering bulb, waiting to shed light across their shadowed, once-antagonistic relationship, it didn't seem so daunting after all.

It wasn't impossible for them to become friends.

"Mhm," Sakura nodded dazedly, her head tilting to the side as she drifted off into slumber. In the midst of her audible, calm breathing and his thudding heartbeats, Syaoran wondered if she would remember this in the morning. He turned to the window, reluctantly preparing himself to leave. He stopped again, holding his breath once more, traveling his eyes over the contours of Sakura's dainty features. She made ordinary and plain look beautiful, and it burned Syaoran's insides for thinking such a thing.

_This is Sakura. My rival. My longtime competitor. And now, I'm staring at her as if I_…

…_ As if I like her._

There was simply too much going on in Syaoran's muddled mind, but one thing was for certain: All the restraint he had mustered earlier had utterly dissolved, and all of a sudden he was leaning over Sakura's dreaming body, dipping his head toward hers… slowly, hesitantly… until his mouth was merely a fraction of an inch away from her cheek. He didn't dare breathe. His heart pounded crazily, frenziedly, madly in his chest. This was Sakura, and he thought he couldn't stand her, and he was acting completely insane, and it was absolutely_ wrong_, and—

His lips brushed against the soft skin of her cheek, ever so lightly, just _barely_ making contact. Appalled at himself, Syaoran quickly drew away and stood up, feeling his body blaze with prickles as he clambered out of the window. The icy night air shocked his feverish skin like a heart-stopping realization. As he hastily climbed down the tree and took off running the instant he reached the ground— he knew. He knew why there was an ever-present ache in his chest, as if something was squeezing his heart every time it tried to beat. He knew why he felt like his lungs were crushed and his ribcage was being pulled apart. It was child's play for him to touch other girls, but when it came to Sakura, it was nothing short of a dangerous game. He knew the reason for_ all_ of this, and maybe he had always known, and it was something he had been denying for only God knew how long.

As he ran and ran through the darkening streets, refusing to stop even as the burning in his chest intensified, Syaoran finally decided to accept the sharp feeling weighing down his entire being. It didn't matter how far or fast he ran. He couldn't escape. He couldn't escape the fact that he was falling for Sakura Kinomoto, and it was the one thing that scared him to death.

* * *

**A/N:** I hope everyone enjoyed bringing in the new year! And I also hope that you found this chapter to be satisfactory. It's fun having Syaoran go through such mental torture. I'm so mean. xD Anyway, guess what? The next chapter is already finished. Show me some love (or hate; flames are hot) and I'll reel it in faster. :3 Cheers~


	9. the fatal shot

**Gallery of Broken Hearts**  
(09: the fatal shot)

Tomoyo pulled the curling iron away from Sakura's hair, releasing a fresh auburn ringlet. A small puff of steam clouded past Sakura's face and disappeared in a second. Sakura examined herself in the mirror— she didn't look so tired anymore, thanks to Tomoyo. The girl had given her a clean yet stylish look. A mature shade of blush spread over her cheekbones and a thin streak of black eyeliner graced the top of her lids, emphasizing her green eyes so they resembled a regal feline's. Loose curls hung relaxedly around her face and her lips were shining and rosy.

"I can't believe I agreed to go to this party with you," Sakura grumbled, but deep down, she was secretly thrilled for the first time in a while. She normally didn't go to house parties— the ones that involved wild dancing and possibly alcohol— but Tomoyo had been invited and wanted Sakura to be her date, believing that the change of scenery would be nice for her as long as she controlled herself.

"Well, it's too late to turn back now, I already worked so hard on your makeup!" Tomoyo grinned at her best friend, finishing up the final touches before turning around and lifting the dress resting on Sakura's bed. It was simple, strapless and black— one that hugged the waist, fanned out in petal-like layers at the thighs, and ended just above the knee. Tomoyo's eyes glittered mischievously as she handed the dress over to Sakura, who blushed nervously.

"Trust me," Tomoyo continued as Sakura undressed and pulled the garment over her slender body. "We're going to have fun tonight, and you're going to forget all about… the things you need to forget about."

Sakura stood in front of her body-length mirror, staring at herself with slightly wide eyes as she gave a final tug to the dress clinging to her lean frame. She was used to wearing rather vivacious outfits because of cheerleading, but this dress radiated a sense of maturity. It shone slightly as she moved, and for a moment she thought it was too much for a simple house party, but then she remembered that it was being thrown by Meiling, who had a reputation for being a "classy wild child"… whatever that was. It was probably a glamorous combination of raunchy and sophisticated. Regardless, she pulled it off well.

"I have to call Syaoran," Sakura said suddenly, snapping out of her thoughts and turning away from the mirror to retrieve her cell phone. "We were supposed to rehearse our skit today, but I'm going to cancel."

"Ah," Tomoyo replied simply, reevaluating her own outfit, which was a dark purple dress nearly in the same fashion as Sakura's, but with straps. Her long hair was pulled into a sleek ponytail at the side of her jawline.

Sakura brought the phone to her ear and waited as it rang for what seemed to be an eternity.

"Hello…?"

"Hi, Syaoran."

"H-hey, Sakura."

Sakura blinked and narrowed her eyes. Something seemed off about him, but she couldn't tell what it was, especially since he was on the other side of the line instead of standing right in front of her. She disregarded the uncertainty in his voice and said, "We're going to have to practice our skit another day… sorry. Something came up."

She exchanged slightly amused glances with Tomoyo, since "something came up" really meant, "I'm going to a party instead."

"I see." There was a short pause. "That's fine. Actually, I was going to call later to tell you that I had other plans, too."

"Oh, really? Then that's perfect. We'll just rehearse some other time," Sakura replied, smiling softly against the phone.

Before she could utter a goodbye, Syaoran cleared his throat and suddenly asked, "You don't remember last night, do you?"

Sakura raised an eyebrow before a look of puzzlement overtook her face. "Last night…?" Her gaze fell to the floor, and she noticed her textbook sprawled on the ground next to her bed. "I was reading for the next Calculus chapter, then I knocked out. Why?"

"Never mind," Syaoran replied hurriedly. "Bye."

The line cut off as Syaoran hung up, and Sakura gave her phone a strange glance before tossing it into her purse. "Syaoran's being weird."

"Oh?" Tomoyo answered mildly, looking away from Sakura and smiling to herself. "That's a change."

* * *

Sakura and Tomoyo could hear the music pulsing from within the large house as they walked up the cobblestone steps leading to the entrance. Meiling's home was four stories tall, stretching toward the darkening, eventide sky. Laughter, shouts, and excited conversations erupted all around them as they joined the party, slipping in without anyone acknowledging them. They wormed their way through several gyrating dancers, withstanding the mingling body heat before ending up in the kitchen, where familiar and unfamiliar peers stood around talking and drinking from red plastic cups.

The hostess of the party stood next to the punch bowl, gales of laughter spilling forth from her red lips as she poured herself a drink. Sakura quickly observed Meiling, finding the girl marginally fascinating considering she didn't have very many opportunities to interact with her, since she attended a private school far from Tomoeda High.

Meiling wore a short red dress with a gold trim. Her jet black tresses were in two separate buns on either side of her head, with tiny peacock feathers adorning each cluster of shining hair. She was tall and gave off an aura of exquisite mischievousness— something that men of all ages found alluring. It was hard to believe she had only just turned eighteen.

Sakura and Tomoyo approached Meiling, and it took a couple of minutes to catch her attention by simply standing there. To no surprise, she had several guys flirting with her. But once Meiling's eyes connected with the best friends, she beamed brightly and approached them with open arms, nearly spilling the drink in her right hand.

"Tomoyo!" Meiling exclaimed, wrapping the other wealthy girl in an embrace. They often saw each other because their families were affiliated through their prestigious businesses. Sakura couldn't help but feel like a mere commoner as she stood next to them, all brown-haired and mousy while the two other girls seemed so alike as raven-haired upper-class princesses. She felt bad for thinking of Tomoyo in that light, because her best friend was very humble in spite of her extravagant upbringing and didn't flaunt her riches like Meiling did.

"Happy birthday, Meiling," Tomoyo said kindly, handing her a present that was meant to be from both her and Sakura.

After Meiling drew away from the embrace and set aside her gift, she smiled brilliantly at Sakura and said, "Sa… Sakura, right?" she giggled apologetically. "Sorry, I feel a little tipsy."

"That's okay. Happy birthday," Sakura replied, returning the smile and forcing a laugh, hooking arms with Tomoyo. She felt so out of her element in such a brassy environment, but it was also intriguing to her, and she was determined to try to make the most of the night.

Meiling's expression lit up even more as she made eye contact with someone approaching Sakura and Tomoyo from behind.

"'Something came up,' huh?" teased an unexpectedly familiar voice, and Sakura felt an uncomfortable amount of dread well up in her stomach. She turned around to face Syaoran, who stood with his hands slid casually into the pockets of his black jeans. He wore a white button-up with a maroon vest, and kept his hair mussed even in the semi-formal occasion.

"What are you doing here?" Sakura questioned, ignoring his playful rendition of her earlier excuse, her eyes growing a little wide.

Syaoran chuckled, brushing past Sakura to stand next to Meiling, who pulled him into a tight hug. She didn't let go. "Why wouldn't I be here? Meiling's my cousin."

"She… is?" Sakura blinked in surprise, moving her gaze from Syaoran to Meiling, and back to Syaoran. Meiling nodded happily and the three teens engaged in conversation while Sakura went off in a daze. For some reason, she began to feel a little warm— probably because of the immense heat in the house— and her oncoming lightheadedness began to show through her flushed cheeks and slightly erratic breathing. The blaring music wasn't helping, either. Tomoyo stopped mid-sentence as she took immediate note of this.

"Are you okay, Sakura?" Tomoyo asked her, resting a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Why don't you step out into the courtyard? Syaoran can go with you." She glanced at Syaoran, whose posture stiffened at her words. "Meiling and I have a lot to catch up on."

"U-um," Sakura glanced at Syaoran, shrinking back a little. "I'm fine, really…"

"Like hell you are," Syaoran replied, beginning to feel the slightly suffocating effects of the house's stuffiness as well. He released himself from Meiling's iron grasp and gently took Sakura by the forearm. "C'mon, I'll take you outside. You'll probably like it better out there, anyway."

Sakura didn't say another word. Tomoyo and Meiling watched as Syaoran guided her through the mass of guests, weaving their way across the room until they passed through the wide, double French doors leading to the backyard.

Meiling placed a hand before her lips and giggled naughtily, casting Tomoyo a sideward glance as she purred, "Syaoran's looking hot tonight, don't you think?"

"Meiling… did you really just say that?" Tomoyo gave the other girl a horrified look, but she wasn't surprised that the words were coming from her of all people.

"What? He's a good kisser." Meiling's scarlet lips spread into a wicked smirk.

"He's your _cousin_," Tomoyo replied haughtily, as if she had to remind her. Meiling giggled, leaning against Tomoyo as her cheeks turned a bright pink. Tomoyo sighed, taking the red cup away from her. She clearly had enough booze for the night.

Syaoran was right; Sakura preferred being outside instead of the cramped confines of Meiling's illustrious house. There were less people in the courtyard, which was illuminated by strings of icicle lights normally used for Christmas decorating. It was easier to breathe.

A short, brick wall ran adjacent to a line of rose bushes that stretched across the yard. Sakura and Syaoran went to sit on this wall, diverting their gazes as they noticed a couple heavily making out at the table off to the side of them.

They didn't speak for a while, submerging into their own thoughts. Syaoran finally caught a good look of Sakura's embellished appearance, since it had been darker in the house and he hadn't been paying much attention. Now, as they sat together on the deep red bricks, white-gold lights twinkling over them in the cold night, Syaoran could hardly keep his eyes away from her. It made him catch his breath and feel like an idiot, but he supposed that was normal for someone who was falling against their will.

Syaoran finally broke the silence. "Are you feeling better?"

"Yeah… but I'm starting to feel a little stupid in this dress," Sakura confessed, unaware of Syaoran's staring as she focused on her hands clasped over her lap. She ruefully added, "You were right, I _don't_ have any cleavage to show off."

Syaoran nearly choked on the spot, recalling the teasing comment he had made in class nearly two months ago. Had it seriously impacted her self-esteem _that_ much? His eyes shamefully lowered from Sakura's face to her chest— sue him for being a guy and staring at a pair of breasts for once! And there they were, tight and flattering for her body type. They weren't huge, but they definitely weren't small. They were just right. _Goddamnit, Syaoran, stop staring. _He immediately returned his eyes to Sakura's gloomy expression, wondering if he should tell her they were fine.

No, that was too dangerous.

"Whatever," Syaoran found himself saying, trying to sound as indifferent and vague as possible. "I take back what I said, actually."

"R-really?" Sakura stammered, lifting her gaze and giving Syaoran an appalled look. He quickly looked away, praying he wouldn't screw up and say something foolish.

"This doesn't seem like your type of party, though," Syaoran replied, straying from the topic of Sakura's chestiness.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sakura began to grow defensive. "That I don't look like someone who can have fun like a 'normal' teenager? That my type of party probably consists of root beer and Scrabble instead of alcohol and grinding?"

Syaoran sighed, wondering why she had to feel so offended. "Well, yeah."

Sakura narrowed her eyes at him, feeling her mouth grow dry. She took a deep breath and stood up, trying to air out her annoyance by steadying her breathing. She didn't excuse herself as she walked away from him. She found herself approaching a nearby stand with another punch bowl and little cups filled with bright green gelatin. Once she grabbed an empty cup and began to pour herself some glimmering punch, Syaoran appeared next to her and swiftly swiped her cup away, trading it for a water bottle he had retrieved from a cooler below the table.

"Don't drink the punch," Syaoran told her as she glared at him, demanding an explanation as to why he felt compelled to steal her cup. "It's probably spiked by now, or worse."

"Or worse?"

"Think laxatives." Syaoran set the cup down. He grabbed Sakura's hand as she discarded the the water bottle and reached for the tiny cups of gelatin. "And those are jello shots. Don't eat them."

"I _know_ what jello shots are," Sakura lied snappishly, beginning to feel even stupider than she did before. Who knew one had to be so careful during these parties? Wrenching her hand free from Syaoran's hold, Sakura snatched one of the cups and downed the shot in a single gulp, in an action similar to swallowing a large pill. She winced a little— she didn't remember ever having jello that tasted so strong. It was sugary, but there was also a sharp zing to it, and it sent a sweet yet slightly burning sensation down her throat.

Just to unnerve Syaoran, she reached for two more.

Syaoran frowned, furrowing his brow and lifting a hand toward her. "Sakura…"

Again, she was too quick for him. She was already swallowing her third shot by the time he regained his hold on her arm. She promptly pulled away from his touch once more, licking her lips and clumsily dropping the cups. They clattered to the ground at their feet and rolled away.

"You have no idea how strong that shit is," Syaoran warned her, moving to stand in front of the table so that he could interfere before could pick up yet another shot. "It'll only take a couple more for you to get plastered."

"Why do _you_ care?" Sakura demanded, her mood darkening. She tried to reach around him, but he wouldn't let her pass. "And what the hell does 'plastered' mean?"

"Damn it, Sakura. You're so book smart, but you really aren't street smart at all."

"Oh, and I suppose you're _both_?"

"You're beginning to understand me, aren't you?"

"Believe me, I'm not proud of it." Sakura growled under her breath and prepared an insult, but a sudden head rush assaulted her, making her grimace and bring a hand to her forehead. Syaoran's expression shifted from agitated to concerned, but before he could ask her if she was feeling okay, a tall and very buff young man— a jock, no doubt— approached Sakura from behind and brought a hand upon her shoulder.

"Hey, is this guy bothering you?" said the nameless jock, and Sakura peered upward with clouded eyes to meet an undeniably masculine and suggestive stare. She began to grow uncomfortable and couldn't find the words to tell him she was fine.

Syaoran glared at the jock, who challenged him with an intense look of his own before returning his gaze to Sakura.

"Lemme take you someplace where he can't bother you no more," the muscular stranger said to her, slipping his hand from her shoulder to her arm. Sakura didn't know what made her cringe more— his grammar or his assertive touching. She wanted to pull back, but she was frozen and, much to her disappointment in herself, afraid and defenseless.

Syaoran noticed that Sakura seemed too meek and flustered to stand up for herself. He stepped forward, continuing to pit his unwavering stare against the jock's. "Leave her alone. She's not interested."

Nameless Jock snorted. "What are you, her boyfriend or something?"

"No," Syaoran replied, his voice low and steady, even though his blood was simmering. "Far from it, actually. I just know she's too good for you, so back off." Sakura's eyes widened as Syaoran looked at her and bluntly asked, "Sakura, do you want to have sex with him?"

"W-w-what?" she stammered, her flushed cheeks paling. Everything seemed to suddenly spin around her.

"That's what he wants from you," Syaoran said, and Nameless Jock rolled his eyes in impatience and irritation. Sakura began to wince as his cold hold on her arm tightened.

"N-no, I don't…" Sakura's words were slightly slurred. She was trembling now, and her vision was blurring in and out of focus. Her stomach began to bubble squeamishly— Why the hell did she have to take those shots just to annoy Syaoran? Why did she want to get on his nerves all the damn time? Was she _really_ that afraid of getting along with him?

Nameless Jock released Sakura's arm upon her answer, suddenly disinterested. This indicated that Syaoran had been correct— he only wanted to get into her pants, or in her case, her dress. It was obvious from the beginning, but Sakura was clearly too dense to figure it out.

"Well, damn," sneered Nameless Jock, looking distastefully at Sakura and Syaoran. He began to mutter. "She's not worth it, anyway. Just look at her. She hardly fills in that dress."

Sakura felt her heart swelter in embarrassment, and before the jock could turn away, Syaoran stepped forward again, not bothering to hide his anger this time. His face darkened with resentment and he clenched his hands into fists. "What the hell did you just say?"

"Nothing."

A film of tears glossed over Sakura's eyes. This didn't go unnoticed by Syaoran, who felt his mouth fill up with a multitude of profanities. As the jock began to walk away, Syaoran shouted at his back.

"Hey, asshole! She's worth a lot more than any dumb broad you'll end up with in the future, that's for sure!" He snarled and moved forth to go after the jock, who pretended not to hear Syaoran's words— but something caught the hem of his shirt, holding him back before he could leave. It was Sakura's hand. The tension and animosity drained from Syaoran's face as he turned and noticed her tears on the precipice of cascading.

"Sakura… don't cry."

"I'm trying not to," Sakura choked out, lifting her head and refraining from blinking as to not let the tears fall. "It'll ruin my makeup…"

Syaoran stared at the girl before him, wishing he could wipe the gunk from her face. He thought she looked better without all the artificiality. He sighed. "You don't even need makeup, Sakura."

Instead of calming her down, which had been Syaoran's intention, his kind words ended up affecting her to the point where she couldn't help but start crying. Syaoran sighed again, watching the dark droplets of mascara streak down her face. He looked down. She was still grabbing his shirt. His expression softened as she tugged him toward her and buried her face in his chest, sobbing.

She was so tired of crying, but there she was, once again weeping into the chest of the guy she once abhorred with every ounce of her being.

"Th-thanks," Sakura muttered. "I'm sorry… I'm probably staining your shirt…"

She was, but Syaoran didn't mind.

"It's fine," he replied collectedly, hoping Sakura didn't feel his heart ramming against his rib cage as he held her close. They didn't exchange words for a while. It was a silent moment for them, even though music and chatter blared from the house— they didn't hear any of it. Syaoran thought of their previous night together, the one Sakura had apparently forgotten, and he mumbled into her flower-fragranced hair: "We're friends, right?"

Sakura closed her eyes from the dizziness— dizziness from the alcohol, and dizziness from Syaoran's oddly familiar question. Without hesitation, a small noise sounded from her mouth. "Mhm."

Suddenly, Sakura made a short gagging sound.

"What's wrong?" Syaoran asked in a panic, drawing back and holding her at arm's length. He noticed Sakura's paling face; several curls clung to her cheeks due to sudden perspiration. Her eyes blinked repeatedly and her lips pursed.

"I feel like— I think I'm going to—" Sakura didn't finish her sentence. A bitter taste spread across her tongue. Her upper body lurched forward and her mouth parted as she heaved and retched, releasing a sudden spurt of vomit. Syaoran flinched, feeling the warm, clumpy and rancid-smelling substance leak into his shirt and pants, dripping over his shoes.

The other guests in the backyard noticed immediately, pumping their fists in the air and applauding mockingly as they all shouted in unison: "_Oooh._ PARTY FOUL!"

Tomoyo and Meiling appeared at the French doors, their eyes widening as they noticed what had happened. Tomoyo rushed over to her best friend, gathering her in her arms and grabbing a napkin from the table to wipe away the excess vomit from her lips and chin. In her shock and daze and unstable balance, Sakura collapsed to her knees. Tomoyo dropped with her, rubbing her back as she coughed again, expelling the rest of her stomach's contents onto the courtyard's grass.

Tomoyo looked up and gave Syaoran a worried look. "She had alcohol?"

"I…" Syaoran wanted to explain that he had tried to keep her away from it, but Tomoyo didn't seem too intent on hearing his response; the answer was as clear as day. "Yeah…"

"How much did she have?" Meiling asked her cousin, who had arrived at the "party foul" scene a moment after Tomoyo.

"Just… three jello shots…"

"What do you mean, 'just three'?" Meiling glared at Syaoran accusingly, her tipsiness apparently subsiding in light of the situation. "You, of all people, should know how much tequila and vodka I put in those shots. And I'm sure she's never had alcohol before tonight." She shook her head. "So you just _stood_ there while she slurped them up?"

Guilt began to scrape against the walls of Syaoran's chest, and he felt himself heat up in shame. Was it really his fault for not succeeding in stopping her?

"Don't blame Syaoran," Sakura uttered under her sour breath, limp in Tomoyo's arms. "He warned me. But I wasn't listening to him."

Tomoyo ran her hands through Sakura's curls, brushing them away from her face comfortingly. "Do you want me to take you home, Sakura?"

Sakura shook her head— which was a big mistake, considering it worsened the ache pulsing in her temples. "I don't want to go home."

"Do you want to come home with me tonight?" Tomoyo asked, dabbing at her friend's face with a napkin once more. She took care to wipe away the lines of mascara staining her cheeks. Sakura nodded, and Tomoyo smiled weakly. "Alright, let's go."

The putrid stench of vomit hung in the air. A small, strained noise sounded from Tomoyo's throat as she helped Sakura stand. Syaoran took a step toward the girls with the intention of offering his assistance, but Tomoyo told him she was fine handling Sakura on her own. Meiling sighed and proceeded to escort them out of the house, babbling about how she wished they could stay longer. As her quavery and clumsily swaying body received supported from Tomoyo, Sakura glanced back at Syaoran. She had never seen him look so sorry.

* * *

In the dark of Tomoyo's room, Sakura let out an exhausted sigh, sinking into the downy mattress. She stared at the shadows stretching along the luxurious purple walls. Next to her, Tomoyo stirred in her sleep. At this point, Sakura couldn't tell who was more tired: her drunken self, or Tomoyo for all her hard work of taking care of her drunken self.

When they had arrived at the Daidouji mansion, Tomoyo let Sakura take a hot bath and gave her a fresh change of clothing. Before heading to bed, she made sure Sakura had plenty of water to drink in order to lower her chances of being a victim to a hangover in the morning. Sakura had been very stubborn with the intake of water, mostly because she just wanted to rest already, but Tomoyo remained adamant.

Sakura smiled to herself, unbelieving of her luck. Tomoyo was more than she could ever ask for in a best friend. She rolled once in the bed, turning to look at Tomoyo's sleeping, serene face. She would never admit it out loud, but even though she adored Tomoyo, she had often harbored jealousy toward the girl— jealousy toward her looks, her popularity with boys, her musical talents and wealth. But Sakura was learning to accept everything as it was. She wouldn't change her relationship with Tomoyo for the world.

Tomoyo's eyes remained closed, but her lips parted as she asked, very quietly, "Sakura?"

"Yes, Tomoyo?" Sakura whispered, a little surprised since she thought Tomoyo had been completely knocked out.

For a brief moment, there was a still silence. "Are you starting to like him?"

Heat rose to Sakura's cheeks, and she began to feel feverish. She pulled the blanket further over their shoulders. "We're friends now. That's it."

"You've been friends for a while." Tomoyo's words were slow and etched with sleepiness. "An aggressive and competitive friendship, but a friendship all the same. You two just took forever to admit it."

Sakura silently pressed her face into Tomoyo's satin pillows. Tomoyo immediately sensed Sakura's tension toward the subject, and she gently placed a hand on one of Sakura's.

"Honestly," Sakura murmured, her eyes closing as Tomoyo's soft touch set her at ease, "even if I _did_ start feeling something for him… I would probably do my best to push it away."

Slumber began to wash over them like calm waves lapping on a beach. Sakura began to snore lightly, and Tomoyo smiled into the sheets, knowing her next words would go unheard by her treasured friend.

"I think you're already doing that, Sakura."

* * *

"Want to be together?"

Sakura's head jerked up, and she blinked at Syaoran in restrained shock. He had turned around in his desk and was now facing her.

"What…?" Sakura asked, dumbfounded. Had she heard him correctly?

"Jeez, return to Earth, space cadet. It's Monday. The alcohol from the weekend should've left your system by now." Syaoran shook his head at her inattentiveness and his own lame joke. "Mr. Tohno told us to pick a partner. We're going to work on a timeline."

"Oh." Before she could answer, there was a tap at her shoulder. She turned around to see Ryo beaming congenially at her. She smiled at him in return, recalling their pleasant conversation several days ago. He had been absolutely right when he told her he was a good listener. She had been able to talk to him as if they had known each other their whole lives.

"Be my partner, Sakura?" Ryo asked her, and he said it in such a warmhearted tone that, for a second, Syaoran thought the guy was going to bend down on one knee and present a ring to her.

Or perhaps he was just being bitter.

"Well…" Sakura glanced at Syaoran before nodding at Ryo. "You don't mind if I work with Ryo on this assignment, do you, Syaoran?"

"Who am I, your father? Don't ask me for permission." Syaoran looked away and slumped back in his seat, shrugging indifferently. It took a lot of effort to act so apathetic, but he managed to pull it off convincingly. "I don't care, do whatever you want."

Sakura rose an eyebrow at him before moving seats so that she was sitting right next to Ryo. Much to Syaoran's dismay, he could hear their entire conversation while they worked together. He tried to keep from feeling caustic about not being able to work with Sakura— It wasn't like she was his partner by default, even though they had paired up for the past several assignments.

It didn't take more than a minute for a random girl to come up to him and sheepishly ask to be his partner. Her eyes were practically in the shape of hearts when he accepted. Syaoran didn't seem too attentive on their timeline; he was too busy straining his ears to continue listening to Sakura and Ryo's conversation.

"Wow," Ryo breathed, clearly impressed as he watched Sakura draw out the template for their timeline. "You really are the smartest girl in this class, aren't you?"

Sakura handed him the pen. "I wouldn't say that…" she replied, evidently flattered. She pointed out the lines and dates he needed to label.

"You're too modest. It's hard to find a girl who's both pretty and smart nowadays."

"Ryo, you're silly."

"I swear! You're like a rare species."

And much to Syaoran's disgust, they went on with their flirtatious exchange for the rest of the class period. He hadn't heard so many cheesy lines in his life— and he was supposed to be the _king_ of sappy situations, considering he made money off of setting up such scenarios. Syaoran's mind echoed with a holy choir singing praise to the heavens as the class time drew to a close.

"Well, would you look at that?" Ryo said, holding out the timeline for both him and Sakura to admire. "I think we have the best timeline. It's no surprise, since I had the best partner."

Sakura gave him a look of amusement. "Such flattery. Do you want something from me, or what? A cookie? A gold star?"

Ryo paused, setting down their timeline and biting back a laugh. He smiled. "Hmm. Now that I think about it, maybe there _is_ something I want from you."

Syaoran felt his muscles tense as he waited for Ryo to continue, wishing he could turn around and chuck his History textbook right at the boy's head.

"Your company," Ryo told Sakura. Out of the corner of his eye, Syaoran saw Ryo taking hold of Sakura's hand and scribbling something onto her palm with his pen. It was most likely his phone number. "If you don't have a date for Tomoeda's Festival of Light this weekend… I'd like you to be mine."

Syaoran's hand clenched the spine of his textbook. He seriously wished he could boomerang it behind him and burst their sparkly little bubble of giggles and rainbows and unicorns. He wanted to gag. He wanted to grab Sakura's hand and scrub off Ryo's number. He wanted to stop feeling so resentful and… childish.

He wanted to stop his heart from ripping when he heard Sakura say yes.

* * *

**A/N:** Hello, hello! Thanks for the luff, everyone. Your reviews made me grin like a silly schoolgirl. Hopefully this chapter was enjoyable, too (well, as enjoyable as it could have been considering certain unfortunate events). Bleh, I know the teenage party scene is kind of overused but hey, they're in high school. At least I tried to give it my own little twist. :3 I promise it gets better! In the meanwhile… Who is this Ryo fellow, and why is he all up on Sakura's jock? And why am I so mean to Syaoran? I'll let you ponder that! Love you guys. Let me know what you think~


	10. the new prince

**Gallery of Broken Hearts**  
(10: the new prince)

As the moon slowly made its ascent into the star-filled sky, the people of Tomoeda bustled about the streets in preparation for the Festival of Light. Strings of brightly-colored lanterns stretched over the many booths that served for a variety of purposes: food, games, face painting, and other forms of entertainment. There were men and women pushing carts around, offering balloons and cotton candy and the like, while a band occupied the stage and played family-friendly tunes. A carousel, ferris wheel, and teacup ride had been set up amongst the festivities, and lines were already gathering at the entrances.

Later on, everyone would light candles, attach them to paper boats, and let them go on the lake to float freely.

Syaoran took a deep breath and pulled the hood of his sweatshirt over his head, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible. He couldn't believe what he was about to do, but the nagging feeling in his chest that had been bugging him all week was seizing the best of him. He ducked into the crowds, traveling his anxious eyes over each guest he passed by, trying to seek out the certain two he was bent on finding. _C'mon, Syaoran. You can do this. You can find them. They'll never know you're here. You are a ninja._

"Damn straight," Syaoran muttered to himself, lightly pumping a fist at his side in determination.

He was obviously too caught up with internally motivating himself to notice he was about to crash into a familiar peer.

"—the hell?" Syaoran snapped after the collision, steadying himself before he could fall backward. But the hostility in his expression immediately vanished as he locked eyes with who he had bumped into. "T-Tomoyo?"

Tomoyo stared at Syaoran with a look of surprise, which was soon replaced with amusement as she realized they were dressed similarly. They were both wearing dark outfits with their hoods draped over their heads. While Syaoran wore black, Tomoyo wore a lovely shade of deep purple. It was apparent that they were both trying to remain incognito.

"Syaoran Li, did you just stutter?" Tomoyo inquired teasingly, pulling down her hood to further reveal her angelic features. Her porcelain skin and gem-like eyes seemed to glow in the lantern light.

Disregarding her playfulness, Syaoran jerked his head to the side and replied, "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I'm here for the same reason as you…"

"Huh?"

"To spy on Sakura and Ryo."

"I am _not_ here to spy on Sakura and Ryo," Syaoran replied hotly, narrowing his eyes in disconcertion.

"Yes, you are," Tomoyo's words came out in a nearly sing-song manner, and Syaoran suddenly felt doomed. "But our reasons for stalking them are entirely different. You're here because you're jealous. I'm here because I'm watching over my best friend. It's her first real date, and—"

"I'm not jealous!" Syaoran interjected, feeling his skin warm up with abashment even in the chill of the night. Tomoyo shrugged at him with a faint smile, obviously not buying his indignant claim. When Syaoran figured it was no use, he continued with a low, almost embarrassed voice, and kept his gaze on anything but Tomoyo. "She's… never been on an actual date before?"

"Nope," Tomoyo replied breezily, and they continued walking together in search of Sakura and Ryo. "Hard to believe, isn't it? Considering Sakura's so nice and pretty."

"Yeah…" Syaoran faltered as he noticed, through the corner of his eye, that Tomoyo was grinning at him like she knew something that he didn't. He hardened his expression and recollected himself. "I mean— yeah, it's hard to believe. Jeez. You think she would've gone on at least _one_ date by now. Most girls have."

"Are you alone here, too?" Tomoyo asked, suddenly changing the subject, which Syaoran was deeply grateful for.

"Yep, but by the end of the night, I won't be. There are a lot of fine-looking ladies here…"

"Syaoran, you can stop acting." Tomoyo's smile softened understandingly as she slowed to a stop, and Syaoran halted along with her. She looked up at him with empathetic, kind eyes. "You like her… don't you?"

Syaoran hesitated and remained silent, self-consciously glancing at the people that bustled around them before focusing his sight on his shoes.

"Don't worry, I won't tell her," Tomoyo said gently, and Syaoran pulled his gaze up in surprise. She continued. "She's my best friend and we hardly keep secrets from one another… but if I told her this one, she would totally have a heart attack."

"Hah," Syaoran replied shortly and sarcastically, and they resumed on their walk. "She would, wouldn't she?"

Tomoyo brought a hand to her glossy lips and giggled, which prompted an actual, genuine laugh of relief from Syaoran. Before they knew it, they were chuckling together.

Their moment of laughter was short-lived, for Tomoyo suddenly grabbed Syaoran's arm and slightly gestured toward two figures in the distance. Sakura and Ryo were at a booth, talking and laughing, and it seemed as though Ryo was about to play a game that involved knocking a stack of bowling pins over with a small bean sack. Syaoran and Tomoyo nodded to each other and began making their way toward the couple as discreetly as possible.

"Isn't this exciting?" whispered Tomoyo, as softly as she could in a crowd of people. She adjusted her hood around her face once more. "We're like her private secret service! Sakura's the princess being courted by Prince Ryo, but here's the catch— one of her secret service men is in love with her! Oh, it's like a drama!"

"Damn, Daidouji, you need to lay off the soap operas or something," Syaoran grumbled. "And that smitten secret service man better not be me, because I'm not in love with her."

"Denial. And the plot thickens…"

"Shut it!"

"Ohohoho!"

Syaoran and the gushing girl finally made it within a decent distance of Sakura and Ryo, standing close enough to hear their conversation but far enough as to not be noticed. They kept their faces slightly turned away. Syaoran kept a lingering eye on the two through a sideward gaze.

"Aww, look at that panda!" Sakura cried out, pointing at the very large stuffed animal displayed at the back of the booth. It was nearly as big as an actual baby panda. "It's adorable!"

"Hmm, five strikes in a row for the panda?" Ryo mused, his grin brilliant and confident. He tossed a bean bag in the air and caught it, repeating the motion two more times before saying, "Sounds easy enough."

"Please," Syaoran muttered while Tomoyo stifled a giggle. "These games are all rigged, there's no way in hell he's going to—"

"Strike one!" bellowed the man in charge of the booth as Ryo knocked the pins clean off the platform. Sakura cheered him on, hopping up and down and waving her hands in the air like the cheerleader she was. She was the perfect depiction of peppiness and excitement.

Syaoran rolled his eyes, swallowing the profanities that yearned to spill from his mouth. "Beginner's luck—"

"Strike two!"

"Oh, hell."

"Strike three— strike four—"

"Syaoran, you're turning red," Tomoyo remarked amusedly, gently tapping him on the shoulder to reel him away from his thoughts of hatred and spite. Syaoran shook his head and sighed, dreading Ryo's final aim for the pins.

"_Strike five_! Congratulations! What will it be? The panda? For your girlfriend here? Excellent choice!"

Syaoran's teeth sank into his tongue. _Girlfriend? Yeah, right. _The two weren't _that_ close; they had only been friends for less than a month. That godforsaken booth man seriously needed to refrain from drawing conclusions. Syaoran watched with a single, raised brow as Ryo handed the gigantic panda to an incredibly delighted Sakura. He nearly felt the need to look away. But he didn't. He couldn't look away, not when Sakura's face was lighting up as bright as the lanterns that hung above them.

"Thank you so much, Ryo!" Sakura exclaimed, bouncing on her heels and hugging the stuffed animal as tightly as she could, nearly popping the seams. "IT'S SO FLUFFY!"

"She's so cute when she's happy, isn't she, Syaoran?" Tomoyo queried, glancing at the bitter boy next to her. He hesitated for a moment and reluctantly nodded. Tomoyo sighed wistfully to herself. "It makes me happy when she's happy."

"For fuck's sake. You sound like you're in love with her or something."

"Just because you're jealous doesn't mean you have to take it out on everyone, you know," Tomoyo scolded him lightly, and before Syaoran could once again deny his jealousy, he was gripped by the arm and dragged in the direction of the ferris wheel. Apparently, it was Sakura and Ryo's next destination. Syaoran's skin burned with irritation at the thought of the possibilities a single ferris wheel ride would bring about. Stargazing. Handholding. Bodies pressed together in the cold. Or maybe even—

"Don't worry, I don't think they're going to kiss," Tomoyo piped, and Syaoran's immediate response was a flustered snort. "I'm reading your mind, huh?"

"Get out of my head," Syaoran grumbled, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his sweatshirt as they filed in line for the ferris wheel. They made sure there was a good deal of people between them and Sakura and Ryo.

"I can't help it!" Tomoyo replied, grinning mischievously. "There's a lot of hilarious stuff going on in there."

The movement of the ferris wheel line was surprisingly fast. The spies were able to get the cart just beneath Sakura and Ryo's, granting them a convenient view of the couple as the ride made its rounds. Syaoran's stare seemed to be fixed upward at Sakura for majority of the ride, and it wasn't vague to Tomoyo in the least.

"You know…" Syaoran began, his gaze still focused on the chattering duo above them. Unfortunately, the conversation remained unheard by him and Tomoyo. "He's not even that cute."

This statement, of course, was utterly wrong. Ryo Ito was quite dashing, with his gelled raven hair, deep honey-tinged eyes, and clear skin lightly dotted with freckles. He had a strong build, comparable to Syaoran's, and a knee-weakening smile.

Tomoyo's expression was easy to read: '_You're kidding me, right?_', but she opted to say, "Does that mean you're checking him out?"

"Hell no!" Syaoran hissed, keeping his voice down in fear of catching the couple's attention. He slumped further into the seat of their cart, looking up again. "There's a difference between checking someone out and taking note of the fact that they're unattractive."

"Hmm… I see," Tomoyo replied smoothly, admiring the flickering lights beneath them. "You know what else is unattractive?"

"What?"

"Jealousy."

"For the last time, I'm not jealous!" Syaoran winced and shut his eyes as he realized how loud he let his voice get, but upon peeking upward, he came to find that he hadn't been noticed, and gave a sigh of relief.

"Ohoho," Tomoyo snickered adorably. "This is better than any soap opera…"

Then, a sweet gesture from above made Syaoran hold his breath in dread. As the breeze picked up, Sakura's body began to tremble noticeably, and Ryo took the opportunity to slide his arm around her shoulders and draw her closer. A minute or so later, as if the scenario couldn't get any more sickeningly corny, Sakura's head tilted to rest against Ryo's shoulder.

Tomoyo turned to examine Syaoran's reaction, expecting him to grumble crude words or hold himself back from exploding in fury. Instead, Syaoran's face emptied of all spiteful and violent emotion. He didn't look angry. He didn't look vengeful. He only looked hurt, dejected— wishful, even, as if he wished _he_ could be the one holding Sakura in such a way. And it was true. He wanted to hold her, and not for a reason that had to do with comforting her in a hallway or steadying her drunk body. He just wanted to hold her purely because of the desire to have her in his arms, and it was such a bizarre idea to him since he used to harbor such animosity toward the childish girl.

Now, all he wanted was to be near her. It was driving him insane, to say the least.

Syaoran finally allowed himself to look elsewhere— at the festival below, at the fingernail snippet moon, at the stars— anything but the affection occurring above him. He felt like there was a parasite chewing away at his heart, just eating and eating away until he felt hollow. It was a ridiculous concept when he reviewed it in his head, especially since Ryo and Sakura's actions were completely innocent as far as he knew. They seemed… happy. Sakura was _happy_, and Syaoran knew that she hadn't truly felt happiness in a while.

If Sakura could be in a happy relationship with Ryo, how could he possibly come between that?

"… You shouldn't mess with a blossoming relationship, should you?"

"I told you to stay out of my head, Tomoyo."

"Sorry."

The ferris wheel made its final round, and the music from the festival became significantly louder as Syaoran and Tomoyo were lowered onto the ground. Syaoran stepped out first, and as he was helping Tomoyo out of the cart, a surprised and slightly confused voice rang out from behind them, calling their names and making Syaoran curse under his breath. As Tomoyo and Syaoran walked out of the ferris wheel exit side by side, they mutually understood that there was no running away from this.

"Syaoran? Tomoyo?" Sakura repeated herself, her eyes blinking at the pair in an emotion that seemed to be a cross between pleasant and disbelieving. Her arm was linked with Ryo's. The four of them exchanged slightly uneasy glances as they stood in temporary silence. Sakura was the one to break it. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Syaoran wanted to spy on you and Ryo," Tomoyo replied promptly, but it was in such a teasing tone that nobody could possibly take her seriously. Syaoran willed his cheeks not to turn red, and he barely succeeded.

"She's kidding," Syaoran jumped into the conversation with a roll of his eyes. "You're so funny, Daidouji."

Sakura laughed, shrugging off the awkward moment before asking, "Are you two here… together?"

"No!" Syaoran answered with such quickness that he suddenly felt compelled to throw himself in front of a train. Easy words used to come so readily for him, but now he could hardly contain himself around Sakura. He decided to launch into explanation with a slower tone of voice, though it didn't exactly work out in his favor. "We're not here together. We ran into each other earlier, so we just decided to go around… together."

_Well, that didn't help._

"But we're not here _together_," Syaoran repeated blandly, even though he figured it was hopeless.

"That doesn't make sense," Sakura replied cheekily, making Syaoran squint at her in annoyance. She looked at Ryo with a sly grin. "I guess they would make a cute couple."

Ryo smiled and nodded in agreement, slipping his arm from Sakura's to bring it about her shoulders. Syaoran tried to hide his growing incredulity— Did Ryo really have to touch Sakura so much?

"Maybe we could double-date one day," offered Ryo, and Syaoran and Tomoyo were clearly horrified.

"It's… really… not like that at all…" Tomoyo struggled with her words, pushing her hair behind her ears in sudden discomfiture while Syaoran ruffled a hand through his own.

"Whatever you say, Tomoyo," Sakura replied contentedly before checking her wristwatch. "It's about time for the candle ceremony, isn't it? Ryo and I are going to head over to the lake now, then. We'll see you two around." She drew away from Ryo and pulled her best friend into a death embrace of air-deprivation.

"Oh-_kay_!" Tomoyo choked out, wincing marginally. Sakura finally released Tomoyo to let her gasp for air. Syaoran's face was the ideal display of irritation, and Sakura couldn't help but smirk at him until she caught his gaze. His irritation was displaced by a mild, questioning look, and he felt his breath lodge in his throat as Sakura hugged him as well.

"It was nice seeing you," Sakura told him, her arms squeezing around his midsection.

"Yeah," Syaoran replied shortly, his arms dangling at his sides until he finally returned the hug. He gave a neutral nod to Ryo as Sakura pulled away and returned to his side. Tomoyo waved at their retreating figures.

"It's funny how difficult these little moments can be, huh?" Tomoyo murmured, adjusting her silken indigo scarf.

Syaoran sighed and shot her a warning look. "Tomoyo—"

"Fine, fine. I'll stop."

* * *

Syaoran sat at the edge of the lake, watching as people merrily lit their candles, perched them upon decorated paper boats, and set them free on the water. Observing the tiny, blinking flames accompanied with quaint, floating origami was a nice way to unwind after all the negativity he had experienced in the past few hours. The miniature boats bumped and swayed in the night breeze, sending sparkling reflections of orange and yellow over the lake's glassy surface. Delighted laughter chimed through the air as a crowd gathered to admire the traveling boats. The lake was alive with flickering and winking fiery lights, and the sight was nothing short of enchanting.

A white, meticulously-crafted paper boat slowed to a bobbing halt at Syaoran's sneakers. He lifted a brow in mild interest, reaching down and retrieving the boat from the water. It glittered as it dripped. The fire dancing over the wick of the creamy candle quivered before it ceased to exist. Upon further inspection, Syaoran could slightly make out a set of initials carved into the wax of the half-melted candle: _M.H._

_M.H.?_

Why did that ring a bell?

"Oh, sorry, that's my b—" All of a sudden, there was a girl about Syaoran's age kneeling next to him, reaching for the boat in his hands. Her apologetic sentence remained incomplete as their gazes latched, simultaneously widening in recognition. Syaoran had to lean away in order to make certain he was seeing clearly. This girl had very light brown eyes and short, dainty red curls held back by a hairband. She looked significantly older than the little girl he used to know, but he could identify those eyes and curls anywhere. Her rosy cheeks only became rosier as she continued to stare at Syaoran in bewilderment.

"… Minako?" Syaoran questioned, unsure of himself. The girl nodded slowly, obviously on the same level of stupefaction. They stared at each other through the glow of the lake's lights for a minute or so until their shock subsided.

"Syaoran Li." The girl named Minako was no longer wide-eyed with awe, but presenting him a very cordial grin. "You caught my boat. And you've lost all your baby fat."

"Y-yeah," Syaoran replied with a halfhearted smile, still swatting away remnants of his confusion. He handed over the boat, glancing at the candle one more time as he did so. _M.H. Minako Hashimoto._ She looked just the way he remembered her, and her voice was nearly the same— soft and chime-like, but slightly lower than it had been in her youth, with a twinge of a French accent.

"It's been so long. What brings you to Tomoeda?" Syaoran asked, faintly marveling at how his childhood friend seemed different and exactly the same, all at once.

"I've been here a week already. I graduated high school in France a month ago," Minako explained, adjusting her body into a more comfortable position as she kept her place next to Syaoran. "I've returned to Tomoeda for college." She cradled the damp, fragile boat in her hands, her smile growing sheepish. "I've missed it here so much. The food, the places, the… people. Especially you, Syaoran."

Syaoran felt a wave of nostalgia hit him as he thought of the last time he had seen Minako. It was during their fake wedding— the one he had happened to tell Sakura about over a week ago. He remembered being absolutely crushed when she left to catch her flight to France with her family. Time certainly had a way of flying by.

They sat there in silence for a while, tension imperceptibly filling the air around them, as if they didn't know what to do next.

"Well, it's getting quite late…" Minako trailed off and hesitated, appearing as though she didn't want to leave Syaoran too soon. "May I see your phone for a moment?"

"Huh? Oh, sure." Slightly puzzled, Syaoran handed his phone over and watched as Minako pressed several numbers into it. She returned it to him, beaming.

"You have my cell phone number now. Please give me a call sometime soon— I would really like to catch up. And it would be nice to have someone to spend time with. It's been pretty lonely, being back after seven years and all. Everyone has seemed to move on." Her smile softened and she leaned toward him to embrace him lightly, like a delicate, slowly-woven cocoon. Syaoran's nose tickled with the fragrance of mint as she kept a lingering hold on him, resting her chin against his shoulder, her voice dropping to a whisper. "But if you haven't changed too much, I'm sure you've been lonely as well."

Syaoran closed his eyes, holding back a sigh. Before he knew it, Minako was pulling away and gracefully bringing herself up to her feet, waving at him before walking off into the distance.

"_Au revoir_, Syaoran."

Syaoran's eyes reopened in time to see her tall, slim figure disappear within the crowds. He exhaled heavily after noticing he had been holding his breath. He had forgotten how skilled Minako Hashimoto was at numbing his entire body.

_But if you haven't changed too much, I'm sure you've been lonely as well._

She was right.

* * *

Kissing was a mastered skill for Syaoran. He knew exactly how to carry out the art of tantalizing a girl's lips with movements so fluid and irresistible. His fingers would never tremble, his hands were always wandering, and he hardly ever failed to leave a lady pining for more. He was good at what he did, and it was no secret. It was undeniable.

"_Syaoran_—!"

Syaoran smirked to himself at the sound of the gasp leaving the strawberry blonde's mouth, which was currently interlocked with his own. He slipped his hand into her hair while she grasped the collar of his shirt, pulling him down to intensify the kiss. Much to Syaoran's shock, his confident smirk suddenly faded, and he felt his heart plummeting.

_What am I doing?_

This was not a business deal. In fact, this girl was a case from the past who just wanted another taste of him. Twenty minutes earlier, she had approached Syaoran after his last class and followed him to his car, where she shoved him into the backseat and promptly forced herself onto him. Syaoran's initial reaction was not rejection— he had been tired and bored lately, and he had spent a whole week torturing himself by unwillingly having flashbacks of the cutesy "SakuRyo" events from the festival. In short, he was upset and frustrated. So when an attractive girl by the name of Yuumei decided to throw herself onto him, he didn't say no.

But things weren't turning out the way he expected them to.

Syaoran hid a wince as Yuumei shoved him flat against the backseat, nearly knocking him out at the door handle. His shirt was completely unbuttoned and she was straddling him, kissing him heavily and fiercely. When she tugged at his pants and began to fumble with the button, Syaoran decided he couldn't take it anymore.

He tensed and grabbed her wrist.

"Yuumei—" His voice was ragged and he was catching his breath. She leaned away and lifted a brow in a mixture of confusion and aggravation.

"What the hell, Syaoran? You're such a tease…" With her free hand, she reached for the button of his pants once more, but Syaoran claimed that wrist as well.

"I…" Syaoran trailed off before clearing his throat and sighing. "I can't do this."

Yuumei blinked incredulously, her mouth dropping open. She puffed up her reddening cheeks and swiped the tangled, champagne-colored hair away from her eyes. Syaoran thought she looked kind of ridiculous.

"You're totally fucking with me, right?" she demanded, shaking with developing fury.

"No. I'm not fucking with you," Syaoran replied blatantly, releasing her wrists. "Literally." He looked away and unlocked his car. "Please, just… go."

Syaoran bit his lower lip and squeezed his eyes shut as Yuumei let out an ear-piercing scream. In the small confines of his car, the shriek easily bounced from one wall to another and gave Syaoran a splitting headache. Yuumei lifted a fist and socked Syaoran in the stomach before climbing off him and clambering out of the car looking like a hot mess. She made sure to end her dramatic exit with a violent slam of the door.

After five minutes of wheezing and grabbing his stomach in the back of his car, Syaoran recollected himself. He buttoned up his shirt and decided to step out into the parking lot, where the breeze soothed his flushed and sweaty skin. His nose tingled with the smell of imminent rain, and sure enough, when he lifted his head to peer at the blanket of ashen clouds above, several cold droplets of water landed on his forehead and cheeks. His erratic breaths slowed down and he closed his eyes. It didn't matter that the rain was getting heavier and beginning to fall in crystalline sheets. The rain could wash him away for all he cared. He just wanted to focus on breathing.

A moment later, he could still hear the rain pattering against the asphalt, but he couldn't feel it pelting down on him anymore. After he opened his eyes, it took him a while to realize that someone was standing right beside him, holding a pink umbrella over his head.

When he noticed that it was Sakura, he nearly forgot about breathing at all.

"Do you _want_ to catch a cold?" she piped teasingly, and Syaoran avoided her playful gaze. She frowned at his silence and prodded his side. "What's wrong?"

"I'm just tired."

"That's usually code for 'Something's wrong, but I don't really want to talk about it.'"

"So if you already know that I don't want to talk about it, then why are you asking me about it anyway?" Syaoran snapped, glancing down at Sakura with a sour expression. She furrowed her brow and bit her tongue, as if she wanted to fight an instinct to reflexively shoot a curt statement right back at him.

"I'm sorry, I should mind my own business," Sakura apologized quietly, ushering a rather surprised reaction from Syaoran. It wasn't like her to apologize for intrusions— at least, when it came to him. Was she really trying to do her part in this new friendship of theirs?

"It's alright. Don't worry about it, okay?" He rested a hand against her shoulder. A faint smile found its way to Syaoran's lips, and it was one that Sakura quickly returned.

"I'll try not to." Without hesitation, she placed her hand over his; the one that was still resting on her shoulder. "Just know that I'm here to listen if you need to talk."

Syaoran swallowed thickly. Her hand was incredibly warm in spite of the cold weather, and a huge part of him wanted to lace his fingers with hers, but he fought the urge as soon as he saw a familiar figure approaching.

"Ryo's coming over here," Syaoran mumbled, pulling his hand away and shoving it into his pocket.

"Yeah." Sakura glanced behind her before smiling sheepishly. "We're going out for hot chocolate."

"I'll get going, then." Syaoran's soft smile tightened and became evidently faker, but he prayed Sakura wouldn't notice. She didn't seem to. "Have fun with Ryo."

Before Syaoran could turn to leave, Sakura let out a small, strained, "Wait!" Syaoran rose an eyebrow and Sakura laughed shortly and embarrassedly. "If I run out of things to say to him, can I… text you for help or something…?"

Syaoran shook his head, his smile tauter than ever. "You'll be fine, Sakura. I don't think you need me anymore."

"Well… if you say so," Sakura replied under her breath. She seized Syaoran by the arm as he tried leaving again, pulling him into a quick hug. "See you tomorrow."

Syaoran didn't bother to return the hug, but he kept his artificial smile until he reentered his car and began pulling out of the parking lot. He reached over and turned on the radio, twisting the volume several notches to the right until the music blared in his ears. He strained with practically every muscle in his body to not look out of his window, but he did anyway.

Through the rain smearing against the glass, he saw Sakura drop her umbrella and leap into Ryo's arms, giving him an embrace tighter and more enthusiastic than the one he himself had shared with her a minute earlier.

And that was enough to make Syaoran feel like shit.

* * *

**A/N: **I kind of want to give Syaoran a big hug right now, even though it's my fault that he's going through all of this. xD Thanks for all of your input for last chapter, guys! You're all so amazing. To those of you who were wondering, this story will most likely have fifteen chapters; sixteen at the most. I apologize if my updates are less frequent from now on, because winter break is over for me and school will be hogging my attention and time. :( A thousand apologies! I'll try my best to update as soon as I finish the next chapter. Let me know what you think, guys! :3


	11. the art of kissing

**Gallery of Broken Hearts**  
(11: the art of kissing)

The following Friday, Sakura and Ryo entered History class hand in hand.

This, of course, did not bode well with a certain amber-eyed heartbreaker. The sight irked him enough to make him grind his teeth and crumple up the paper on his desk. But several quick, maddening heartbeats later, he swore under his breath and proceeded to flatten out the paper. His homework was ruined.

Syaoran's thoughts ran a mile a minute. What the hell was going on in Sakura's mind? Was Ryo seriously amazing enough for her to feel justified in jumping right into a relationship with him? Syaoran contemplated seeking words of wisdom from Tomoyo, but he ultimately decided against it. It was none of his business, even though he could easily make it his business. He was quite good at acquiring information he wasn't supposed to know, but it was almost as if his cunning skills had been running rather lackluster lately. After he rejected Yuumei in the parking lot the previous week, he hadn't carried out a single business deal since then. It was safe to say that he was not only running low on money; he was running low on patience and happiness as well.

He growled lowly when Sakura bounced past his desk and ruffled his hair before taking her seat behind him.

"Feeling a bit grumpy today, little wolf?" chirped Sakura, reaching forward and tapping a short rhythm on his shoulders. Much to his dismay, she began to hum.

Syaoran rolled his eyes and leaned away from her touch, focusing his sight on the wrinkled worksheet lying pathetically on his desk. Without looking back to reply, he filled his voice with sarcastic sweetness. "Sakura, why is the sun shining out of your ass?"

"Because my ass has a date to prom!" Sakura gushed, steering clear of his snappy inquiry on her imaginary tricycle of glee and sparkles. She grabbed Syaoran's shoulders again and, this time, practically shook him to death. Syaoran bit into his cheeks so hard that he drew blood, and the metallic taste danced over his tongue almost mockingly, teasing him for his misfortune.

Through the corner of his eye, Syaoran glanced at Ryo, who was sitting across the classroom and pulling his homework out from his backpack. His actions appeared so innocent and responsible, but Syaoran wanted to lock him up in a dungeon infested with rabid rats and mildew. He tried ridding himself of the negativity, but it was no use. Tomoyo was right.

He was jealous.

"What, is he your boyfriend now or something?" Syaoran removed himself from Sakura's chipper grip once more and finally turned to face her with a single, raised eyebrow. He didn't bother to clear his face of any telltale signs of aggravation; he had the _right_ to be annoyed after being subjected to all that violent shaking.

When Sakura turned beet red and broke out into an adorable grin at his question, Syaoran didn't bother to wait for her answer. He turned around and settled back into his seat before emptying his voice of all heated emotion and calmly said, "Oh, that's cool."

Once Mr. Tohno officially began class time, Syaoran was thankful. He needed every ounce of distraction he could get at this point and then some. While the History teacher drawled on and on about the oncoming final exam, he distributed packets of study guides to the entire class. Not even a minute after Syaoran passed the study guide to Sakura, he heard a small, terrified gasp behind him.

"Oh, no," Sakura whispered in horror, flipping through the pages of the packet with wide eyes that only continued to grow wider until it hurt. "I didn't think we'd be tested on _everything_ we learned this year… I don't even remember learning half the stuff from last semester…"

"Are you kidding me?" Syaoran muttered, scanning the contents of his own study guide. "This class is cake."

"Maybe for you, but I…" When Sakura trailed off, Syaoran knew what was happening. He knew there was a lump in her throat that she was trying to choke down, and he knew she was frightened for her grade. He could feel her invisible waves of worry radiating against his back, and it kind of scared him how well he could interpret her emotions without even looking at her. "My grade is borderline right now… I can't afford to get anything lower than an A on the final…"

"Hey," Syaoran said suddenly, keeping his voice soft in order to avoid Mr. Tohno calling them out on conversing during class yet again. "I could help you study for this class, if you want. We could work on History after our rehearsals."

Syaoran anticipated her answer, but because he could already sense her hesitation, he braced himself for the reply he didn't want.

"N-no, it's okay, Syaoran. Ryo and I have already decided to study for the final together."

"Oh, really now?" Syaoran said cooly, feigning nonchalance as he continued to rifle through his packet. Beneath his thin layer of tranquility was a raging ocean of bitterness. "Are you sure you want to do that?"

"Why not?"

"I mean, is he even that smart? If you're smarter than him, which is likely, he won't be of much help."

Unlike Syaoran, Sakura didn't care to conceal her irritation. "Wow, what's your problem?"

"Nothing." Syaoran lifted and dropped his shoulders in a careless shrug. "You're the one whining about your grade; I was just offering to help."

"I wasn't _whining_!"

"Kinomoto. Li. Please."

Sakura and Syaoran routinely lowered their heads and apologized in unison. "Sorry, Mr. Tohno."

A minute after their unenthusiastic apologies, Sakura began to murmur under her breath. "I was just _expressing_ my _concern_ for my grade."

"Yeah, but in a whiny manner."

Sakura clenched her jaw so hard that her words came out in a suppressed hiss. "I'm not whiny. Damn it, Syaoran, you're sounding just like my brother. I don't need another guy treating me like a little kid."

Syaoran's sight fell to his lap, where his hands were tightening into fists due to his diminishing composure. He let out a long, drawn-out exhale and relaxed his hands. "Did it even occur to you _why_ he treats you the way he does?"

"Well, I know he only does it because he—" Sakura cut herself off and faltered. It took a brief moment for her annoyance to disintegrate as she made the connection and understood the point Syaoran was trying to make. Her next words were barely audible. "Because he cares."

"… Exactly." Syaoran picked up his pencil and began to quickly circle the correct answers for the study guide's questions. Sakura slouched in her seat and chewed on her lower lip, subconsciously staring at the back of Syaoran's head for the rest of the class period.

When the bell rang, Sakura watched as Syaoran gathered his belongings, stood up, and slung his bag over his shoulder. She tried to catch his gaze, but he left without a single word of goodbye.

As soon as he stepped out of the classroom, Syaoran raked a hand through his mop of hair and blew the stray bangs away from his eyes. He hated how Sakura drove him crazy in more ways than one, and he hated how he couldn't control it. She was too overzealous and emotional for him, and he was going insane. All he wanted to do was help her study! But no— she had a boyfriend all of a sudden, a fucking _boyfriend_ out of fucking _nowhere_ (okay, so maybe his thoughts were a little exaggerated, but he didn't care). She didn't need his help for anything anymore because she was too busy leaping right into a relationship with a guy she knew for only a little over a month.

He wasn't exactly entitled to think such things, considering he had religiously hooked up with girls he only knew for a day or so, but he was too pissed off to edit his thoughts.

Syaoran shut his eyes and continued to stalk down the hallway, miraculously avoiding bumping into anyone. His words to her from last week's rainy day replayed in his mind.

_You'll be fine, Sakura. I don't think you need me anymore._

For once, Syaoran didn't want to be right.

He opened his eyes, punched his fists into his pockets, and pursed his lips when his right hand collided into his cell phone. As he pulled it out and flipped it open, the corner of his mouth twitched downward in a thoughtful frown. Before he could reevaluate the decision his lonely and disoriented heart was about to make, he scrolled down his contacts list and pressed the call button.

It only rang once.

"H-hello?"

"Hey, Minako."

* * *

There was a secluded, lush yet quaint area in Tomoeda High's campus that was strictly for senior students only. It was a zen garden that truly lived up to its name, for its cluster of cherry blossom trees and mini streams of trickling water made it the epitome of serenity. When Syaoran sat his tense body on the stone bench amidst of the circle of green, he almost immediately felt his muscles relax as the negative energy drained from his core. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, listening to the bubbling water and chirping of finches from above.

Imminent footsteps caused his eyes to blink open. He locked gazes with the approaching redhead, smiling as he surveyed the way her cherry curls framed her round face. She wore a pale yellow sundress and a mint green cardigan.

"Found you," she chimed with her airy voice, which made Syaoran internally collapse into a pit of nostalgia. There was a certain lightness in her tone of words that made her unique amongst all other girls, and for a moment Syaoran felt like a bright-eyed child again: safe and sound and oblivious to the throes of adolescent troubles.

After Minako lowered herself next to him on the bench, she reached into her purse and pulled out a rectangular pouch with a floral pattern. She untied the ribbon at the mouth of the pouch and revealed a bento box.

"I made you lunch," Minako told him quietly, hesitating as she reddened a little. She let out a small, embarrassed laugh. "Oh, goodness. I sound like a housewife."

Syaoran forced a smile and attempted to ease her insecurity with a playful comment. "Well, that's okay. We _did_ get married, after all."

Minako's bleached chocolate eyes glistened at his words. "You remember that?"

"Of course I do." He chuckled to himself and shook his head as Minako handed him the bento, as well as a pair of glossy chopsticks. "Minako… you didn't have to do this for me, you know."

"Oh, but I wanted to— It's so lonesome in Father's mansion. It used to be such fun living there as a little girl, when I was able to count on pure imagination alone, but now it seems so empty…" Her cheeks began to tinge a light pink as she realized she was rambling. "Anyhow, I had plenty of spare time to put something together for you… and I hope you like it."

"I'm sure I will." Syaoran set the bento box on his lap and proceeded to remove the lid. His expression softened as he looked down at the lunch Minako had prepared for him; it was almost identical to the meals she would bring to school when they were children, if he remembered correctly. The onigiri were sculpted with great care, and the bits of meat and vegetables flourished around the rice in an array of greens, browns, and reds. A split, hard-boiled egg was nestled into the corner, resting in a blanket of lettuce. It had a happy face, and Syaoran felt kind of idiotic for smiling back at it.

When Syaoran looked up at Minako once more, he noticed she was simply sitting there, silently watching him with her kind eyes and her amiable grin.

"You didn't bring some for yourself?" he asked, his brows pinching together.

"Ah, no… I'm not that hungry," she replied humbly, wringing her hands and moving her gaze to the cherry blossom branches stretching above their heads.

"Minako," Syaoran began, lifting the chopsticks and pointing at her, capturing her gaze again, "I'm not going to just let you sit there and stare at everything while I eat. We'll share, okay? You made this, anyway."

"Well… if you insist, Syaoran."

For a while, they sat in comfortable silence as they dined on the bento Minako had carefully crafted for Syaoran. It was clear that every little detail had been paid attention to. It wasn't just pretty food; it tasted decent, too. They traded the chopsticks back and forth as well as very few words, and for a while they could have sworn they were ten years old again, sitting away from the rest of the world and simply enjoying each other's company.

As Minako handed off the only pair of chopsticks to Syaoran for the umpteenth time, she brought a hand to her mouth and giggled. "Doesn't this remind you of elementary school?"

"I remember we used to share our lunches all the time…" Syaoran swallowed a small portion of egg and looked at his companion thoughtfully. "You would always forget your chopsticks."

"Can I tell you a secret?" Minako lowered her voice and the pinkness returned to her cheeks. Syaoran gave her a quizzical look as she turned from his gaze and bit the corner of her lower lip. "I did it on purpose. Leaving my chopsticks at home, that is. Because… it made me happy to share with you."

"Is that so?" Syaoran blinked at her for a while, amusement filling his features. "Min, you know I would've shared with you if you had just asked."

Minako's eyes gleamed happily. "We were quite the pair back then, weren't we?"

Syaoran stalled to answer, and instead chose to cast his gaze downward to admire the half-eaten meal. The onigiri was in the shape of a heart, speckled with seaweed that was cut into tiny, delicate stars. He ran a tongue over the back of his teeth and set the chopsticks across the bento box before quietly saying, "We were so young. But we really did care about each other, didn't we?"

There was a minute of silence, and Syaoran could tell Minako was trying to muster up the courage to say something personal to him. "You have no idea how much that pretend-wedding meant to me, Syaoran… I'll never forget how much effort you put into that— even though you gave me a plastic ring and stole your neighbor's roses for my bouquet!"

The sudden reminder of his comical crime caused Syaoran to choke back a laugh. "My mom was so mad at me for that! She made me apologize to the neighbors and forced me to plant new rosebushes." He trailed his gaze along the glittering stream and felt his mouth relax into an easy smile. "But… it was worth it."

"Mm, I'll never forget that day," Minako replied softly, coiling a shining scarlet curl around a single finger. "I was so devastated when I moved… I didn't stop crying for weeks."

Syaoran's next words barely reached her. "Me, neither."

Minako's eyes widened. "You cried, too?"

"Hey, replanting rose bushes is hard work. With all the cuts I got from those thorns, I _had_ to cry!"

Minako burst out a fit of radiant giggles. "Oh, Syaoran. I really missed you." As she beamed at him, Syaoran fell silent and suddenly felt swarmed with conflicting emotions. Minako's lighthearted expression quickly melted into concern as she noticed the tension between his brows. "Is… the bento okay? Is the rice too sticky? I may have put too much water while I was preparing it, or maybe it's the egg? I should have—"

Syaoran cut her off by reaching for her hand and clasping it with his own. He shook his head, his smile returning. "It's just right, Minako. Thank you."

Minako's face reddened once more as she stared down at their hands. "You're very welcome, Syaoran."

After a moment, Minako laced her fingers with his. Syaoran felt his stomach curdle with uncertainty, but he let her keep their hands interlocked as to not be rude.

"We should finish this up," Syaoran mumbled, gently sliding his hand away from Minako's to reclaim the chopsticks.

* * *

"Hey!"

Not even a minute after Syaoran entered Drama class, he felt a light punch at his shoulder. He turned around to meet Sakura's glimmering green gaze; she was pouting at him. When he merely narrowed his eyes and rubbed the spot that had been hit, Sakura huffed.

"Okay, I apologize for getting on your nerves yesterday," she began, frowning and crossing her arms over her chest. "But I can't believe you bailed on skit practice! Are you really that upset? If you want to study with me, I could ask Ryo—"

"That's not it," Syaoran interjected, shrugging mildly. "I'm not upset. Something just came up."

"Oh. Did you have _business_ to attend to?"

Syaoran sighed. "No, Sakura. I was just catching up with an old friend. I wasn't mad at you, honest."

"Well, alright…" Sakura scrutinized Syaoran's expression. She was unable to read his thoughts, but she could tell that he had several walls barricading his mind. She lifted a hand to wag a finger at him. "But no more ditching rehearsal, okay?"

"Excuse me?" Syaoran's nose wrinkled slightly and he scoffed. "Do you not remember last month at all? Meiling's birthday? You were the one who canceled on me to go out and party instead."

"Oh, please!" A short laugh toppled out of Sakura's mouth. "Don't turn this around on me. You were going to cancel that day, too!"

"Yeah, but I was going to be honest and say that it was my cousin's birthday."

"And we ended up seeing each other anyway…" Sakura rolled her eyes, although she couldn't help but grin. "Who would have thought?" She hesitated for a moment, but then continued in a gentler tone. "Thank you for helping me out that night, by the way."

Syaoran tugged a hand through his hair and directed his gaze elsewhere, biting the inside of his lip. "Jeez. I'm still trying to get the stains out of the shirt you puked on."

"I'm still sorry about that."

"It was, like, totally one of my favorites."

"You're such a girl!"

"What? A guy can't appreciate his clothes?" Syaoran retaliated, pretending to be offended. Sakura stuck her tongue out at him and started to formulate a witty response, but Ms. Zuki proceeded to call the class to attention. Syaoran and Sakura glared at each other before taking their seats.

As Ms. Zuki began her usual announcements, Tomoyo placed a hand on Sakura's forearm and murmured, "You and Syaoran don't really fight anymore."

Sakura held back a snort, blinking quickly in disbelief. "What are you talking about?" she whispered back. "Of course we do. Weren't you listening to us just a few minutes ago?"

"Sakura, that's not fighting. That's flirting."

"Not even close!" Sakura struggled to keep her arms from flailing into the air. She clasped her hands at her lap and hardly maintained her composure.

Tomoyo sighed, drawing her hand away. She focused on Ms. Zuki but continued to direct her barely perceptible words to her best friend. "Don't you feel a little bad?"

"About what?"

Through the corner of her eye, Tomoyo glanced at Syaoran. She hid an amused grin when she noticed he was trying to inconspicuously text on his cell phone. Her next statement made Sakura bristle. "About what you're doing to Syaoran."

Sakura didn't answer right away; her face flooded with an unreadable emotion. "No."

_Lunch again today? xo_

Syaoran smiled down at his phone and began to type out a response— but the sound of his named being bellowed made his fingers freeze up in apprehension. Ms. Zuki seemed to have the eyes of a hawk.

"You think you're so sneaky, don't you, my little pet? Well, now you've earned the spotlight!" Ms. Zuki summoned Syaoran to the center of the room with a flick of her hands before she continued her lecture. "Mr. Li seems to be very fond of modeling our dramatic exercises for us. He was being deceitful in his attempt to hide his text messaging, and that is part of what acting is all about. Not texting. Deceit. Doing one thing, but making it look like something else entirely."

The classroom peppered with soft chuckles. Syaoran strained to keep his eyes from rolling around in their sockets as Ms. Zuki began to pace in circles around him, like a vulture closing in on its prey.

"Today, we will learn the art of illusions; fooling the audience into thinking you are committing a certain act when you really aren't. In this particular exercise, we will be working on…" She bared her teeth as she grinned at Syaoran. "Stage kissing."

Every female student in the room— with the exception of Sakura— joined together in a collective swoon. The males in the class exchanged apathetic glances.

"Mr. Li, pick a girl from the class so that you may begin the demonstration."

The simultaneous swoon began to combine with tiny squeals. For a second, Syaoran felt like he was in a room of hungry piglets instead of overeager teenage girls.

Syaoran exhaled through his nose. "Do I really—"

"Yes."

"Can't you just—"

"No."

A contained grumble emitted from Syaoran's throat as he sighed and cast his eyes across the room. Bubbly hearts seemed to glow from the eyes of every girl, save for the certain two he was most acquainted with. His eyes latched against Sakura's, and he was surprised to find her staring right back at him. He gave a quick glance to Tomoyo, who was directing him a vague yet urging nod toward her friend. Her eyes read: '_This is your chance! Ohohoho…_'

"I pick…" The air of the room grew warm as it filled with feminine anxiety and yearning. "I pick Tomoyo."

There was a loud screech from Tomoyo's chair as it scraped back against the floor after she jolted to her feet.

"_What_?" Tomoyo demanded, narrowing her eyes at Syaoran.

"_What_?" The dejected females in the room cried out in unison.

"… W-what?" With slightly wide eyes, Sakura glanced up at her best friend.

"What a lovely choice, Syaoran," mused Ms. Zuki, the only female in the class who seemed to be maintaining her composure. "I could have sworn you were going to pick Ms. Kinomoto for a second, considering you two have been inseparable as of late."

"Well, I guess I'm just full of surprises," Syaoran replied, trying to sound as indifferent as possible.

"Obviously…" Tomoyo continued to glare at Syaoran as she moved to the middle of the room. Her voice lowered to a whisper only he could hear. "Syaoran, why didn't you pick—"

"Alright, Syaoran," continued Ms. Zuki, cutting off Tomoyo's mumble. "I'm assuming you read the chapter that was assigned for last night's homework? This is a test to see if you did, for the lesson in stage kissing was at the very end of the chapter."

"Oh, definitely," Syaoran lied through his teeth. He hadn't read the chapter at all. In fact, he had never opened the Drama textbook at any point within the months he had been in the class, and he was still getting an A. In spite of his lack of effort to read, he was familiar with the concept of stage kissing. He knew that it involved no contact of the lips, but rather a misleading peck on one's own thumb while cupping the face of the partner.

"Wonderful. Then I'm sure you'll be very convincing." Ms. Zuki smiled and retreated from the middle of the room to sit amongst the circle of students. "Please implement some improvisation into the scene before carrying out the stage kiss."

Tomoyo gave up on glaring at Syaoran. They nodded to one another and quickly created their own character within their minds.

"Well, well, well," Tomoyo began, pulling forth her words from the top of her head. She rested her hands against her hips. "You really are just _full_ of surprises, aren't you?"

"It seems as if you do not wish to be here with me, fair lady." Every female heart in the class nearly exploded at the unexpected British accent decorating Syaoran's response. It was perfect and knee-crumbling and ovary-torturing, and even Sakura was raising her eyebrows in shock.

Tomoyo had to struggle to fight her amusement at the sudden presence of British-Syaoran. She relaxed her face and remained calm. "Ah, but I'm not. You see," she stepped toward him, eyeing him almost omnisciently, "you have picked the wrong girl."

"I beg to differ." It was blatantly obvious to Syaoran that Tomoyo was trying to send him on a guilt trip for picking her instead of Sakura, but he didn't let that faze him. If he had chosen the girl he truly wanted to pick, it would have been absolutely chaotic— not that he had no doubt this would end chaotically as well. He had a plan, and it was one that he had quickly and haphazardly designed out of jealousy and spite. He drew closer to Tomoyo and reached for one of her silky black locks. "Let me prove it to you."

Tomoyo tensed and jerked her head away. "You're making a mistake, you stupid fool!"

"I know," Syaoran whispered, grasping Tomoyo's elbow with one hand and cradling her cheek with the other. His face was only inches away from her milky skin. "But this is the best mistake I'll ever make."

Then he closed the space between their faces and captured her lips in a glaringly genuine and absolutely not-fake-at-all kiss.

A second later, Tomoyo broke away and staggered back, her amethyst eyes large and gleaming with stupor.

"_Oh, my god_," she gasped out, covering her mouth with a trembling hand.

"Oh, my god!" the female students shrilled, practically toppling out of their seats.

"Oh, my god," Sakura whispered, her eyes as wide as Tomoyo's, maybe even wider.

"Syaoran!" Ms. Zuki shrieked, rising to her feet and approaching him with her eyes afire. She waved her arms in the air like the shameless madwoman she was. "You clearly didn't do the homework! There should be absolutely no contact of the lips, but you—"

"Um, hello," came a new voice.

The spastic teacher halted her heated words when a random student appeared at the doorway of the classroom. He blinked confusedly at the commotion and shuffled over to Ms. Zuki, handing her a pink slip of paper before quickly excusing himself. An expression of exasperation appeared on Ms. Zuki's face as she scanned the paper.

"It looks like you are being beckoned to the principal's office, Syaoran," Ms. Zuki informed him, rubbing a temple with her knuckles. Syaoran felt his stomach well up with a discomforting combination of relief and confusion.

"Does it say why?" questioned Syaoran. He took the call slip from Ms. Zuki when she offered it to him. It didn't.

"I'm only letting you off the hook because 'But this is the best mistake I'll ever make' was a brilliant line," grumbled Ms. Zuki. "And the spot-on British accent made it all the better." She gave a roll of her eyes. "I'll let the principal deal with you."

The students within the classroom glanced at one another and began whispering cheekily while Tomoyo stood in a daze.

* * *

The walk down the hallway leading toward Principal Soto's office was more nerve-wracking than Syaoran had anticipated. In the past, he had never been summoned to the principal's office for any reason other than being praised or awarded for a scholastic achievement, but this instance was just so out of the blue that he couldn't help but sweat bullets.

He made sure to wipe the perspiration from his forehead and upper lip before entering the office.

"Good afternoon, Principal Soto," Syaoran greeted the middle-aged man as he stepped into the room. He smiled congenially and mustered his best 'Look at me, I'm anything but guilty!' face.

"Ah, there you are, Syaoran," said the principal in his trademark gravelly voice. His dark eyes were kind but his expression was somber, and Syaoran wasn't sure what to make of it. With a sweep of his hand, Principal Soto gestured to one of the two cushioned seats positioned in front of his large, mahogany desk. "I'm going to have to ask you to sit down. This may take a while."

Syaoran obeyed, letting out a short-lived laugh as he settled into the comfortable chair. "Judging by your tone of voice, I'm guessing you didn't call me in to tell me that I'm going to be valedictorian…"

"No, no. That isn't the case," responded Principal Soto, leaning back in his leather swivel chair and pressing the tips of his fingers together. "The valedictorian will not be announced until after final exams. There is, however, something that has been brought to my attention that may hinder your chances of becoming valedictorian…"

"Oh?" Syaoran felt like his organs were tightening within him, but his external disposition stayed clueless and very innocent. "And what would that be?"

"A student who wishes to remain anonymous came to me the other day, claiming that you run a rather scandalous and immoral business within the halls of my school." As Principal Soto continued to talk, Syaoran maintained his best poker face. "Please answer this question honestly." He looked at Syaoran directly in the eyes, as if he expected the boy to fidget uncomfortably beneath his heavy stare. Syaoran didn't budge. "Do you or do you not accept money from your fellow male classmates in order to assist them in breaking up with their girlfriends?"

Syaoran did not sever the connection of their gazes, for it would only make him appear suspicious. After a brief moment of silence, he finally spoke. "Sir, I don't mean any disrespect by countering your question with another one, but… Would you or would you not believe me if I said no?"

Principal Soto knitted his brows and squinted momentarily, considering Syaoran's question. "You're a very intelligent young man, Syaoran, and it has been a pleasure watching you succeed academically whilst still balancing your duties as an excellent soccer captain." He nodded toward the sports trophies displayed on the shelves bordering the walls of his office. "However, to be perfectly honest with you, I do not know what to believe. There is no doubt in my mind that you would be capable of efficiently running a secret business. And that is why I have other sources to turn to, as well."

All of a sudden, Syaoran heard the clicking sound of a knob twisting as the door opened behind him. He turned around and struggled to keep his jaw from hitting the floor as he identified the newcomer.

"You wanted to see me, too, Principal Soto?"

"Sakura?" Syaoran said, his voice slightly bewildered. A harsh, stinging pang of betrayal began to develop in his chest at the very thought of Sakura turning him in. He wanted to believe that they were past that.

"Sakura is not the one who reported the alleged business," assured Principal Soto, motioning for the girl to take a seat. A flurry of relief rushed over Syaoran, but it left him feeling as confused as ever. "Her name, however, was provided to confirm the accusation. I was told that she would speak the truth."

"Who in the world would provide my name without even asking for my permission?" questioned Sakura, frowning as she gripped the armrests of her chair.

"I'm sorry, I cannot disclose that information, Ms. Kinomoto," Principal Soto answered solemnly. "But I _am_ going to have to ask you: Has Syaoran been charging others in order to set up heartbreak for your fellow female peers?"

Syaoran held his breath. He could hear his heartbeat thudding loud and clear in his head and his palms were beginning to glaze over with sweat. He and Sakura were friends, but it was likely that she was pissed at him for stepping over the boundaries with her best friend when he wasn't supposed to. They had also been playing on each other's last nerve over the past couple of days. It was very possible that Sakura could seize this opportunity to eliminate her only obstacle between becoming valedictorian, especially since it was a given that he would perform better on his final exams. He stared down at his lap and gulped, feeling like he had just lost in a lifelong competition.

This was it. This was the end.

Sakura stared at their principal straight in the eyes with piercing emeralds. When she shook her head to indicate a no, Syaoran's lungs nearly burst as he finally let himself breathe. It took all of his might to hide how completely taken aback he was. Sakura's words were steady. "I've never heard of such a stupid and pointless business. If there is one, it's not being run by Syaoran. I've known him for eleven years. He's not _that_ heartless."

An anvil of guilt suddenly crashed into Syaoran's cranium, but he remained wordless in his dizzy, concealed shock.

Principal Soto leaned back into his chair once more, shifting his gaze back and forth between the two top students sitting before him. Ever so slowly, an understanding smile appeared on his face. "Very well, then. I believe you, Ms. Kinomoto. You two may return to your class. I wish both of you the best of luck on the rest of your semester."

Syaoran and Sakura stood and bowed their heads. "Thank you, sir."

The walk away from Principal Soto's office was silent, and Syaoran began to think it was even more unnerving than when he had been on his way there. Sakura was several steps in front of him, walking with her arms crossed and her eyes focused on the pavement. Syaoran made several attempts to open his mouth and start a conversation, but he didn't know what to say. He contemplated thanking her for covering him, though he didn't want to risk being lectured by her. Finally, he settled for the obvious.

"So… it wasn't you," he mumbled, staring at the back of her head. Her soft auburn hair bobbed slightly as she sped up.

"Nope," Sakura replied, not bothering to glance back at him. They turned a corner. "We had a deal, remember?"

"Then who—"

Sakura sighed. "I don't know, Syaoran. I don't know."

Syaoran felt stupid for even beginning to ask. Of course Sakura didn't know. As far as he knew, she had nothing to do with the accusation. "If you ratted me out… that would have killed my chances for becoming valedictorian."

"Well, yeah." Sakura slowed to a stop, and Syaoran subsequently followed suit. She turned around to face him and shrugged. "I guess we'll be competing until the very end."

Syaoran gazed at her for a while, hoping and praying that she wouldn't read his soul and figure out what he felt for her. He noticed that she seemed reluctant to continue walking. "You don't want to go back to Drama?"

"Not just yet. I've dealt with enough drama for today, I think." Suddenly, she balled her hand into a fist and smashed it against Syaoran's arm, repeating her punch from earlier that day, only this time with the intent of bringing him searing pain.

"Ow!" Syaoran took the hit and grabbed the inflicted area, glaring daggers at Sakura. "What the hell was that for?"

"For kissing Tomoyo!" Sakura snapped, making crazy gestures in the air. "What were you_ thinking_? Were you even thinking at all? It was supposed to be a _stage_ kiss, stupid!"

"Shh!" Syaoran clamped a hand over Sakura's flapping mouth and practically carried her over to a crook in the wall beside a row of lockers. It was a nook meant for the placement of a vending machine, but it had been taken out to be repaired. They stood in this narrow cavity together, their bodies just a single foot away from one another. "Do you _want_ to get a detention again?"

Sakura ignored him, resuming her rant once she was released from his hold. She tried to contain the volume of her vehement remarks, and in doing so her words rode within angry hisses. "You violated her comfort zone! Even if you hadn't read the chapter, you should have known that you weren't supposed to actually _kiss_ her!"

"Well, then maybe I'm not as smart as everyone thinks I am."

"Bullshit, Syaoran. You did it on purpose!" Sakura reached across the small space between them and jabbed the point of her index finger against his chest. "Do you have a thing for Tomoyo? Is that it? Is that why you did it?"

Syaoran choked back a laugh and grabbed her finger. "Sakura, _you_ were the one who said that we would make a cute couple!"

"I know I said that! But that didn't mean I'd support you _randomly_ kissing her!" Sakura's eyes narrowed into slits of suspicion. She yanked away from his grip. "So you _do_ like her."

Syaoran's glare disappeared, and his eyes began to reflect slight vulnerability against his will. "No, Sakura. I don't like her, not like that." He exhaled sharply and stared downward. Their shoes were touching, and her feet looked tiny compared to his. He listlessly nudged her shoe with the toe of his own. "I guess I just need to practice stage kissing more."

"Too busy doing the real thing, huh?" remarked Sakura, her anger dwindling as well. She nudged back.

"Yeah, you know me," Syaoran muttered sarcastically, lifting his eyes. He felt his heart trip over itself when he noticed she was staring directly at him.

Suddenly, he felt like reality was shifting into a dream, because she was lifting a hand and gently resting it against his cheek. His eyes widened imperceptibly as she leaned up toward him until her lips were a fraction of an inch away from his own. His heartbeat was in his head again, thumping and throbbing, and he could feel her breath against his mouth, and she was getting closer, and her thumb was moving over his lips, and—

She kissed her thumb.

"For the record," Sakura began, drawing away and slipping her hands into the pockets of her sweatshirt, "that's how you do a stage kiss, dummy."

Syaoran desperately hoped that the shadows within their hiding spot would hide the burning red staining his cheeks. He forced in a breath and maintained his composure. "Don't let your boyfriend catch you doing that with me."

"Don't worry!" Sakura replied, grinning. "He can tell a real one from a fake one. We were practicing stage kissing with each other during Drama club."

"But I bet you two haven't actually kissed yet, huh?" teased Syaoran, playing a smirk at his lips to hide his rising envy. Sakura simple rolled her eyes and shook her head at him as he continued. "How did he ask you to be his girlfriend, anyway? Knowing Ryo, he probably had a jet spell it out in the sky for you…"

Sakura laughed, indicating that she knew how cheesy Ryo was. "No, of course not! He spelled it out in my hot chocolate."

Syaoran deadpanned. "You're kidding."

"Yeah, I'm kidding."

"Then how?"

"He just asked me. First, he asked me to prom, and then he said, 'I want you to be more than just my prom date. I want you to be my girlfriend.'"

If at all possible, Syaoran's deadpan expression died even more. "He practices corny lines like that in front of the mirror, I'm sure of it," he scoffed. When Sakura responded with a careless grin, Syaoran looked away. "You really like him, huh?"

"We have a lot in common. Acting, our sense of humor, our taste in music… and we're comfortable around each other. I feel like it's a very safe relationship." Sakura turned away so that the shadows in the crevice hid her hesitant expression. "It wasn't like that with Eriol." She paused once more before asking, "Do you think I'm moving on too fast?"

_Hell to the fucking yes, you are!_ Syaoran thought, but he made the mistake to look at her again and he saw that her eyes were glittering with hope for a certain answer. And because of that, he suddenly lost all of his reasons as to why Sakura shouldn't be with Ryo. The guy made her smile and laugh even though he was the newly-crowned king of cheese, and while Syaoran had undoubtedly made her smile and laugh numerous times, their personalities simply clashed way too often.

_We're comfortable around each other. I feel like it's a very safe relationship._

Comfortable. Safe. It made Syaoran think of a certain childhood friend of his. Minako made him feel comfortable and safe— like he was a kid again, sheltered from stress and harsh reality.

But even as he thought of the beautiful girl from his past, there was an undeniable urge within Syaoran to eliminate the little gap between Sakura and himself. He wanted to hold her, feel her, maybe even genuinely kiss her without the obstruction of a thumb. But he disposed those thoughts from his conflicted mind. Sakura's heart deserved to be kept safe, and being with him would only turn her world upside down… because he was just as crazy and messed up as she was.

He shook his head and smiled weakly. "If it feels right, then go for it."

* * *

Self-loathing.

Ever since the stage kiss situation that had occurred earlier that day, the notion appeared like a leech in Syaoran's stomach. It was sucking away at his innards, and it worsened when he came home to an empty house with no dinner prepared and a note from his mother regarding chores.

_Dearest Syaoran,_  
_Your sisters and I will return from the cruise in two weeks. Please make sure you mop the floors, mow the lawn, finish the laundry, dust the countertops and vacuum the living room. Don't leave any dirty dishes in the sink!_

In a moment for the sake of melodrama and self-pity, Syaoran felt like he was in a twisted male version of _Cinderella_, but he discarded the idea from his mind when the end of the note read "_Love, Mom._" He understood that his hardworking mother and sisters deserved the tropical getaway, and _somebody_ had to be in charge of maintaining the house while they were gone, although he couldn't help but feel a little upset that they hadn't waited to say goodbye before they left him home alone.

He turned the note around.

_P.S. Make sure to wear clean underwear everyday._

Syaoran snorted, tossed the piece of scented stationery to the side, and grabbed the mop from the closet beside the pantry. He was just about to start cleaning when his stomach emitted a loud gurgle, shooting down his motivation to begin his chores. Once he set the mop aside, he hastily and hungrily whipped out his cell phone. If nobody was going to prepare him dinner, then he would settle for ordering pizza. Lots of pizza.

The voice that answered sounded groggy, as if they had been suddenly awakened from a nap. Shame on that employee for sleeping on the job.

"Ugh… h-hello…?"

"Hey," Syaoran began, impatiently drumming his fingers on the kitchen counter, "can I get three large orders of a Meat Lovers pizza with extra pepperoni and anchovy toppings?"

The phone line went silent for a good ten seconds.

"… What the hell, Syaoran?" All of a sudden, the person on the other line was wide awake and incredulous.

Syaoran's eyes bugged out as he immediately recognized the voice, which sounded less hoarse than before. He nearly dropped his phone. "Oh, shit. Sakura?"

"Just in case you didn't know… I don't run a pizza business."

"Yeah, I figured," Syaoran replied hotly, trying to cover up his embarrassment at his error with a thick coat of sarcasm. "I must've called your number instead of SuperPizza. It's right under your name in my contacts list."

There was another prolonged silence before the phone line filled with a cute laugh dripping with amusement. "You're so smart."

"I know."

"A part of me thinks you fake-accidentally called me."

"Honestly, I think it's just a reflex now, since you're the only one I've been talking to on the phone lately," Syaoran grumbled. It was true; he wasn't a big fan of long phone calls to begin with, but he soon came to realize that befriending Sakura meant receiving calls from her almost daily. It amazed him how she seemed to have an endless supply of topics to chatter on and on about, and most of the time he didn't mind listening to her rambles about life and such— That is, up until recently, when she decided that all she wanted to talk about was Ryo and his rainbow of affections for her.

"Anchovy toppings? Really?" Sakura said disgustedly, and Syaoran could practically envision the way she was probably wrinkling her nose in revulsion. "And _three_ orders of it? Goodness. You're on your manperiod, huh?"

"At least my flow isn't as heavy as—"

"Don't you dare go there, Li," Sakura threatened, but Syaoran sensed that she was suppressing another laugh. "Who are you feeding that to, anyway?"

"It's all for myself, actually… for a couple of weeks. My mom and sisters are vacationing in the Bahamas, and… I don't know how to cook." Right as Syaoran finished his sentence, Sakura began to chuckle. "It's not funny, damn it! I'm going to be living off of pizza and takeout for longer than I'd like to." When Sakura's giggling faded, there was a quietness on the line that Syaoran broke with a mutter. "To be honest… I'm going to miss their home-cooked meals. Maybe I could ask Minako—"

"Who's Minako?"

"Remember when I told you about—" Syaoran stopped himself. No, she didn't. She didn't remember when he had comforted her in the middle of the night and revealed how he had lost his first kiss. He restarted his sentence. "She's just a friend."

"Oh, I see." Sakura didn't seem to dwell on the subject on Minako for very long. There was a pause of hesitation before she continued. "Well, what if _I_ made you a home-cooked meal?"

Syaoran lifted a brow. "You can cook? You're kidding, right?"

"Hey! I'm pretty good! I swear I am. I don't know how I'll measure up to that Minako chick you were talking about, but my food won't kill you."

"Alright, prove it to me." Syaoran's words sounded very much like a challenge, but on his side of the phone line he was grinning. "I reserve all rights to sue if you poison me."

"… If you keep up with those smartass comments, I _will_ poison you."

"We'll see about that, won't we?" Syaoran almost didn't notice the sudden disappearance of his hunger. He was too caught up in his excitement to spend some time with Sakura without Ryo hovering around them— hopefully. "Come over tomorrow."

"Fine!" Sakura bellowed, obviously more than willing to accept his challenge. She was smiling mischievously yet angelically, and Syaoran could tell. "Until then, enjoy your pizza… Anchovy Breath."

* * *

**A/N:** Phew, that was a long one! But I had a lot of fun writing it. The next chapter is going to be even more fun, just you wait and see. :3 In the meantime, what'd you think about this chapter? Because of college and its wrath, I am in desperate need of motivation, so pretty please send some of your love this way. ;D


	12. the sweetest poison

**Gallery of Broken Hearts  
**(12: the sweetest poison)

A pink alarm clock rattled on the nightstand as it shrilled to indicate nine in the morning. Sunlight of a new day leaked through the curtains, and a soft groan sounded from Sakura's bed… where she wasn't visible at all. Instead, she was curled up in the fetal position under her cotton comforters, forming a miniature hill on the mattress.

Ten minutes later, the lump on the bed still didn't budge.

Thirty minutes later, a thin arm emerged from beneath the comforter and tiredly reached for the alarm clock, blindly clawing at the air a few times before finally grasping the blaring contraption. It disappeared into the haven of blankets, and the sharp rings were muffled until they ceased to exist altogether.

Then there was silence. In her warm, dark cocoon, Sakura's eyelids slowly lifted to blearily read the vibrant red numbers on the screen of the clock.

"CRAP!" she screamed, her eyes bugging out as she dropped the clock and flung the blanket off her body. She scrambled to her feet, yanked a fresh change of her clothes from her wardrobe, and stumbled toward the bathroom in the hall. She squeezed the doorknob in her hand with the intent of practically ripping the door open and zipping right in, but it didn't budge when she twisted.

It was locked.

"_Touya_!" Sakura hollered, banging a fist on the door. "Hurry up and get out! I have to go somewhere!"

There was a distant clanging of the water pipes, and then a faraway mutter. "You're not the only one, kid."

Sakura's face flushed crimson with annoyance as she realized that her brother was going to take his sweet time with his shower. At this rate, Syaoran was either going to starve to death or kill himself with the amount of anchovy pizza he was probably shoveling into his mouth.

She stomped a foot on the carpet and raised her voice a few decibels. "Please, please, _please_ finish up!" Her forehead was pressing against the door now, and she gripped her bundle of clothes to her chest. "I'm already running late!"

"Well, you should have thought about that before sleeping in." Pause. "As usual."

"Stop talking! Just focus on showering as quickly as possible!"

"Please don't give me shower advice, Sakura."

"Lather, rinse, repeat! No, wait— Don't repeat! Just rinse off and be _done_ already!" Sakura whimpered and began to panic when Touya didn't reply. Was he just going to ignore her now? She thumped her head against the door and groaned.

All of sudden, the door swung open and Sakura fell forward, her forehead smacking against something firm and wet. When she noticed that it was her brother's bare chest, she staggered back and let out a squeak of disgust, hastily wiping her forehead. She glared at Touya, who was stoically staring down at her with dripping bangs and nothing but a towel draped around his hips.

"Finally!" Sakura growled, shoving past her half-naked sibling and locking the door upon slamming it closed. As she proceeded to prepare herself for a shower, Touya's low voice droned from the other side of the door.

"You're going on a date, aren't you?"

"_No_!"

* * *

Sakura clambered down the stairs freshly-showered, sporting jeans and a floral blouse. She held a scrunchie between her teeth and gathered her hair into a messy bun. Upon reaching the entrance of her house, she snatched her keys from a small hook beside the door and briskly ushered herself out.

"—Gah!" As soon as she careened herself onto the front porch, she suddenly crashed into an instantly-identifiable classmate, dropping her belongings in the process. Sakura scooped up her purse and keys before staring up at the unexpected guest with wide eyes. "… Eriol? W-what are you doing here?"

Before replying, Eriol's lips curved upward in a pleasant yet slightly abashed grin. Although Sakura couldn't help but catch her breath at the expression, it was a smile she couldn't return due to her immense confusion. She wondered why Eriol felt obligated to randomly visit her for a second time— as if the first instance wasn't awkward and heart-wrenching enough. Ever since she had turned him down nearly two months ago, they had hardly spoken to each other.

"I'm sorry for appearing out of nowhere," Eriol began benevolently, bringing a hand to the back of his neck as he chuckled softly. "But I figured I'd pay you a visit. I miss talking to you, Sakura."

"Eriol," Sakura sighed and shook her head, "this really isn't a good time. I'm supposed to be somewhere and I'm already late…"

"Just— please give me a chance to apologize," he urged, though he managed to keep the cordiality in his tone. A look of slight defeat surfaced on Sakura's features and Eriol quickly continued. "It's been so tense between us lately, and… and it's made me realize how much I miss being your lab partner. I remember everything you said that day— about how you don't think we would work. But how are we supposed to know until we try? Sakura, I really am sorry…"

As Eriol went on with his apology, Sakura stared straight into his eyes, delving into the blue she had once been so enamored with. She waited a few seconds… Nothing. She felt nothing. Perhaps a small twinge of guilt, but in her heart there wasn't a single trace of what she had felt for him before. Looking within Eriol's gleaming irises, she noticed a sense of weakness that didn't seem to be there before, and it made her question his motives.

Did he really want to be with her?

Or did it bother him that, for once, _she_ didn't want to be with _him_?

"I appreciate the apology," Sakura replied quietly, finally dropping her intense gaze, "but I'm not the one you should be saying sorry to. You should be apologizing to Aiko."

Eriol's jaw clenched at the mentioning of his ex. "Aiko's not the girl I want to be with."

"I thought we went over this already, Eriol." The idea of reiterating herself hurt Sakura, especially since rejecting him before had already brought her so much pain. "You don't want to be with me."

"You won't even give me the chance to get to know you better?"

"I like someone else, okay?" Sakura bit her lip at her sudden confession.

There was a beat of stunned silence from Eriol, but he maintained his composure. "Who? Is it Syaoran?"

"What the—" Sakura struggled to keep her chin from plummeting to the ground; her heart was beginning to race and it scared her. "Why in the world would you guess _Syaoran_?"

"You two seem to be hanging out a lot lately," Eriol admitted, hesitating before he continued. "I realized that a while ago. Many people have." Sakura quirked a brow at this. "But I didn't want him to hurt you, too, and I know how much you hate what he does to girls, so I figured I would do the right thing and—"

"Wait," Sakura lifted a hand to interject his words. A small _click_ sounded in her mind, like a key fastening into the right lock. Something made sense now. "_You're_ the one who reported him to the principal…?"

Eriol avoided Sakura's narrowed eyes and nodded. "I came to understand how wrong his business is, and I feel so guilty for ever resorting to it. I thought, maybe if I turned him in, you would regain your respect for me and give me a chance…" He faltered when Sakura began to slowly shake her head.

"No… I can't… I can't do that…" Her voice was a murmur now. She stared down at the old wood of her front porch, traveling her gaze along the miniature cracks and peeling white paint. "Syaoran is— well, he—" She struggled with her explanation, internally reprimanding herself for tripping over her words. "I'm not going to make up excuses for that guy, but… he has issues of his own that he needs to work out, just like the rest of us."

A leery emotion flashed through Eriol's eyes. "So you're on _his_ side now? Wouldn't it benefit you if he got in trouble? Don't you want to beat him for the top rank? For so long, you seemed so against him—"

"It's hard to explain." Sakura cut him off again, her words louder and firmer this time. "This semester, I learned that he's not that bad of a person, and because of that, we're friends now." Sakura astounded herself at her next words and how natural and genuine they sounded. "I thought he wasn't capable of truly caring for others, but… I was wrong. Exposing his business… isn't what I want anymore."

"Sakura…" Eriol sighed, finally relenting and stepping away from the porch. He examined the expression on Sakura's face, noticing her clashing emotions and silently understanding her internal battle. "I don't think you know what you want."

Something tightened deep within Sakura's chest as Eriol turned around, walked across her driveway and entered his car. She muttered to herself as she watched him drive off.

"You got _that_ right…"

* * *

"Sorry I'm late!" Sakura chirped breathlessly as Syaoran greeted her at his front door and welcomed her inside. "Punctuality issues…"

"Well," Syaoran locked the door and turned around to see Sakura beaming at him, "that smile looks incredibly fake."

Sakura's face darkened and she scowled. "How would you know?"

"Did something happen?" Syaoran asked, disregarding her bitter question as he led her into the kitchen. Sakura delayed her answer as she stared at the spotless room with temperate surprise. Was this all of Syaoran's doing? She distantly remembered how he had teased her for having such a messy room, claiming that his own was 'very tidy.' Perhaps he had been telling the truth after all.

"Ran into Eriol. No big deal," Sakura replied shortly, ignoring Syaoran's slightly surprised reaction. He obviously wanted to hear more about the encounter, but he could tell she didn't want to divulge any more details. She set down her purse and forced another smile. "So, how's about that home-cooked meal?" She leaned forward and pretended to sniff Syaoran. "Hmm, that's weird. I expected you to smell like anchovies."

"Ha," Syaoran feigned a laugh. He swept his arm outward, gesturing to the entire kitchen. "Use anything you'd like."

Sakura brought a finger to her lips in thought as she migrated around the room, inspecting the contents of the pantry, refrigerator, and several cupboards. When she opened a certain drawer and grinned at what was inside, she turned around and peered at Syaoran with look of devilish innocence.

"You know what would be better than me cooking for you?" she asked sweetly, batting her lashes.

"What?" Syaoran replied cautiously, narrowing his eyes.

"If you cooked _with_ me!" Sakura exclaimed, whipping out two frilly white aprons from the drawer and displaying them for him to see. Exasperation spread across Syaoran's face as he stepped back and shook his head.

"Hell no," he protested, crossing his arms stubbornly. "There is no way I am burning down this house. And there is _absolutely no way_ I will being doing that in my sister's lacy apron."

"You're no fun." Sakura pouted, but donned one of the aprons nonetheless.

Syaoran couldn't help but laugh at how the apron hung loosely around Sakura's lean frame. He approached her and reached behind her back, tying a ribbon so that it was secure against her body. It would be more comfortable and manageable for her to wear it that way.

Sakura delightedly turned in a full circle, as if she expected Syaoran to admire her new ensemble. "See? It's cute."

"You're right. I've always wanted a French maid to cook for me."

A stain of red flushed over Sakura's visage. "Shut up, Syaoran!" She stomped over to the pantry and pulled out a container filled with uncooked noodles. "I've decided: We are making spaghetti."

"'We'?"

"Yes. _We_ are making spaghetti," Sakura repeated confidently, searching the cupboards for a large pot. Syaoran slouched against the counter, watching her unenthusiastically. Once Sakura found an acceptable pot, she placed it beneath the sink's faucet and began filling it with water. "You know, you should thank me for forcing you to cook with me. This way, you'll know how to cook at least _one_ healthy dish."

"Oh, Sakura. What would I ever do without you?" Syaoran replied sarcastically, quirking a brow as Sakura wordlessly rolled her eyes at him.

* * *

The doorbell rang.

"I'll be right back," Syaoran called over his shoulder as he made his way down the hall. His eyebrows lifted as he opened the door and found Minako standing sheepishly on the porch. "Minako?"

"I hope this isn't a bad time," she began, then took note of Syaoran's surprised expression. "Oh… it _is_ a bad time, isn't it? I'll just come back another—"

"No, Minako, it's fine." Syaoran forced a grin and stepped back, gesturing inside. "Please, come in. What's up?"

"Well, I had nothing to do today…" Her tone held a twinge of embarrassment. "So I baked some cookies. And I wanted to give you some."

Syaoran's gaze fell to the plate of saran-wrapped cookies in Minako's hands, something that had gone unnoticed when he had opened the door and welcomed her inside. His grin softened.

"Jeez, you're spoiling me, Min," Syaoran told her as he accepted the plate of cookies. He continued to examine the batch. Amidst the classic chocolate chip cookies, she had added in some snickerdoodles— his favorite type of cookie as a child. "Thank you. I really appreciate it."

Minako's eyes, which seemed to reflect the swirling color of coffee with too much cream, lit up as she smiled. "I hope they're okay! I'm not the best baker, but I—"

Her melodic words were interjected due to a sudden, additional presence in the room.

"Syaoran, where do you keep your measuring cu—" Sakura cut herself off as she noticed the new guest standing beside Syaoran. "Oh! I didn't realize you had company." A cheeky grin spread across her face as she swiped her hand against her apron and offered it to Minako. "Hi, I'm Sakura."

Minako's smile did not fade, but it seemed to waver for a moment as she shook Sakura's hand and winced slightly at her firm, energetic grip. "It's… a pleasure to meet you. I'm Minako."

"Ah, so you're Minako!" Sakura nodded with recognition. "Syaoran mentioned you last night."

"Last… night?" A quizzical expression overtook Minako's angelic features.

"Um, anyway—" Syaoran quickly stepped into the conversation between the newly-acquainted girls. "Yes, Sakura, this Minako. She went to elementary school with us way back when, but she moved to France. Now she's back in Tomoeda for college."

Sakura didn't reply right away, as if Syaoran's story sounded vaguely familiar to her, but she seemed to dismiss the thought after a short while. "France? Wow! Living there must have been amazing."

"Oh, yes, it definitely was…" Minako trailed off, giving a slight shrug. "Perhaps Syaoran will take you there one day."

Sakura furrowed her brow in puzzlement before forcing out a confused laugh. "Uh, I don't know about that… I don't see why he would want to bring me there."

Minako bit the corner of her lower lip. "Well… you're his girlfriend, are you not?"

There was a heavy, awkward silence. Syaoran and Sakura glanced at each other before breaking it simultaneously.

"N-no!" They denied it in unison, while their faces began flaming in the same shade of red.

"Ah!" Minako hid her face in embarrassment, her own cheeks blushing as well. "I apologize— I just assumed— you two seemed so comfortable around each other and she seemed to be cooking for you and— I mean, um— I shouldn't have drawn conclusions, I'm sorry—"

"Minako, it's okay," Syaoran interrupted her with an indifferent wave of his hand, as if it was an attempt to push the subject aside.

Sakura joined in the attempt. "Yeah, it's fine. It wouldn't have been the first time somebody thought that."

Suddenly, Syaoran lifted a brow and shifted his eyes to Sakura. "Really?"

"Anyway…" Sakura ignored his incredulity, keeping her attention on Minako. "Would you like to join us for lunch? The spaghetti is just about ready, and so is the garlic bread we put into the oven. We'll have iced tea and your cookies would be a great dessert."

Minako forced a smile and shook her head, retreating toward the door. "No, no, it's alright. I just wanted to drop off the cookies… I hope you two enjoy them." She adjusted the straps of her purse over her shoulder and grabbed the doorknob. "I'll be leaving now."

Syaoran and Minako shared a quick embrace before she departed. Upon closing the door and turning around, Syaoran vaguely noticed that Sakura's smile had become slightly tighter.

"You totally like her," Sakura stated blatantly, though there were hints of a teasing tone beneath her bluntness.

"We should get back to cooking," Syaoran muttered, brushing past Sakura and maneuvering his way back into the kitchen.

Sakura was on his heels. "Aha! You're avoiding the subject!" When they reached the kitchen, Syaoran merely scoffed at Sakura's accusatory claims. Sakura's face softened and she quit nagging him. "I've never seen you act so… _genuinely_ sweet toward someone like that. You must have a soft spot for her."

After a brief silence, Syaoran decided to give his honest reply. "She was special to me when I was a kid." He paused, staring at nothing in particular. "And, in a way, I guess she still is. We had some good memories together. She was my friend when no one else wanted to be."

"She… seems really nice," Sakura replied slowly, looking down and picking at a thread on her apron. She raised her gaze to look at Syaoran, who seemed slightly uncomfortable. "And really, really pretty."

One of Syaoran's hands clenched onto the corner of the kitchen counter, but Sakura didn't notice this tense motion. She also didn't know that he was biting down on his tongue before saying his next words. "Yeah, well… so are you."

Before Sakura could respond— not that she had the slightest idea as to what she could possibly say to such a thing, especially coming from Syaoran— the tea kettle began to shriek. A look of relief shot over Sakura and Syaoran's faces as they shoved away the awkward conversation and resumed preparing their meal.

Much to Syaoran's surprise, they finished cooking without any major slip-ups. The light, savory smell of spaghetti and freshly-baked bread wafted across his house, teasing his empty stomach.

While Sakura bit into a small piece of garlic bread to test if it was ready, she stared out the kitchen window. "It's a really nice day today."

"Yeah. It is."

"Do you have a picnic basket? The flowers are beginning to bloom and…" She trailed off, her eyes still staring past the glass and across Syaoran's spacious front lawn. By the dreamy, faraway look in her eyes, Syaoran could tell that there was a place somewhere in the distance that she'd rather be.

Syaoran didn't protest. Instead, he nodded and went to retrieve the basket. Ten minutes later, he was sitting in the passenger's seat of Sakura's car while she drove them and their picnic basket to her location of choice.

Her location of choice was the cemetery.

Syaoran didn't bother to ask why.

"Good morning, Mom!" Sakura greeting was breathless, as they had trekked up a hill in order to reach her mother's pearly tombstone. The grave was ridden with flowers, and the epitaph read:

_Nadeshiko Kinomoto_  
_1971-1998_  
_Loving mother and wife_

As Syaoran clenched the picnic basket and bit the insides of his cheeks, he subconsciously did the math in his head. Nadeshiko Kinomoto, for whatever reason, had died when Sakura was in kindergarten. He thought back to their childhood, when he had endlessly ridiculed Sakura until she started crying, and suddenly felt compelled to throw himself down the hill.

Sakura caught his solemn gaze as she spread out a checkered blanket across the grass. "You don't mind if we eat here, do you?"

Syaoran shocked himself at how vigorously he shook his head. "I don't." He bowed toward the tombstone before seating himself next to Sakura. "It's nice to finally meet you, Mrs. Kinomoto."

Sakura bit back a smile as she began emptying out the picnic basket and setting the food down on the blanket. It only took several minutes for them to start dining on the dishes they had prepared. For most of the beginning of their meal, they exchanged no words. Then Syaoran began to notice that Sakura was deep in thought— and quietly whispering under her breath.

"Sakura," Syaoran began, unsure if he should be amused or not, "you're talking to your noodles."

"Huh?" Sakura nearly dropped her plate and jerked her head up, a smear of tomato sauce evidently staining her lower lip. Her eyes were wide. "Oh. Sorry."

"Damn," Syaoran laughed a little, picking up a napkin and scooting toward her. As he gently wiped the sauce from Sakura's lip, he mildly thought back to the time he had performed this same action for her back on Valentine's Day, when she had unknowingly smothered chocolate on her face. He shook his head while Sakura looked away embarrassedly, seemingly too distracted to notice Syaoran's slightly affectionate gesture. "What's wrong with you?"

Sakura shrugged and continued to stare off into space. "It was Eriol."

"What…? I don't…" Syaoran's voice faded as he tried to make sense of Sakura's vague answer. It didn't take too long for him to comprehend. "Eriol… _he_ was the one who reported me." When Sakura nodded to confirm the statement, Syaoran growled under his breath. "Why the hell would he do that?"

"Because… because he thought it would help redeem himself. Something like that. He still wants a chance with me."

"Wow," Syaoran huffed, suddenly losing his appetite. He set his food aside and leaned back on the blanket, propping himself up with his elbows. "All of a sudden, you've got a whole bunch of guys after you."

"What are you talking about? It's just Ryo and Eriol, unless you're counting the jerk from Meiling's party— but we both know how that turned out. At least, I _kind_ of do. Huh. Is some other guy crushing on me that I don't know about?"

Syaoran couldn't refrain from rolling his eyes at Sakura's sudden ramble. "Never mind." He paused, running his tongue along the back of his teeth before asking, "What did you tell Eriol?"

"He was shocked that I defended you. But I told him…" Sakura hesitated for a moment, and Syaoran craned his neck forward, wordlessly urging her to continue. "… that you're not as bad as you seem."

Syaoran blinked, slightly surprised. When he remained silent, Sakura continued.

"I told him that you probably have some issues of your own to fix, just like the rest of us…" She trailed off, placed her plate beside her, and grabbed the thermos filled with iced tea. Syaoran sat up again and held out a plastic cup for her while she poured. "I've been thinking, and I feel like you use your business as some sort of outlet. But for what, I don't know…" When Sakura's sentence wavered once more, Syaoran looked away and handed her the cup. "Am I on the right track?"

Syaoran didn't answer immediately. He continued to keep his gaze away from Sakura. When he did respond, it was quiet. "You know how I started high school with a new look?"

"Yeah," Sakura nodded fiercely, swallowing a mouthful of tea. "You weren't chubby or dorky-looking anymore."

"_Thanks_."

"Hey, I thought you were cute back then, before the new look," Sakura shot back, lifting a hand defensively.

"Oh, and not now?"

"Don't flatter yourself."

"Anyway," Syaoran continued, returning to their original subject after they briefly exchanged glares, "it surprised me, how my new look suddenly appealed to a lot of girls. The first time a guy broke up with a girl because he caught her with me… wasn't intentional."

Sakura furrowed her brow. "Really?"

"Really. It wasn't planned at all. I didn't know she had a boyfriend, but we were flirting and the next moment— we were kissing. Cue the angry boyfriend, cue the messy breakup. I felt bad, but it gave me a sort of… twisted type of confidence." Syaoran sighed, taking a sip of his own tea. "I was thinking, 'Wow, this girl was willing to jeopardize her relationship just to fool around with me? Am I really worth that much trouble?'" He shook his head. "I knew it was bad. But it was a guilty pleasure."

Sakura's face relaxed; all of the tension in her delicate features gradually dissolved as Syaoran continued with his explanation. She wondered how often this happened— how often Syaoran pulled down his barriers and open himself up to someone, completely exposing himself and his faults. His history.

She could tell by his downward gaze and the uncharacteristic uneasiness in his voice that it didn't happen all too often… or at all, for that matter.

"Then I joined the soccer team. That's when I found out about all the cowardly guys that didn't have the balls to break up with their clingy girlfriends. From that point on, everything seemed to sort of fall into place for me. I started helping them out. For free, at first. The natural high was enough of a reward for me." Syaoran paused again, his hand wandering across the blanket's edge and plucking away the few brown, dead blades of grass amongst the green. "But then I started feeling guiltier and guiltier, and I wanted to stop…"

"You wanted to stop?" Sakura's expression filled with confusion once more. "So why didn't you?"

"I did. For a little while. But then the more desperate guys started offering to pay me. It shocked me. I didn't refuse, though. So I started up again. It became a business. I took their money. I helped them. The whole process was more successful than I ever thought it would be. And I became… addicted to the business, in a sense."

By the way Syaoran seemed to be swallowing thickly, Sakura could tell he was done with his explanation. They sat there in silence for a while. It wasn't awkward, but it didn't mean anything, either. It was just quiet. The breeze picked up. Syaoran's hair fell over his eyes and he pushed away his bangs with a flick of his hand. Sakura watched him execute this effortless action, tucking her own tousled hair behind her ears.

_Mom…_

_… What am I supposed to say to this boy?_

"Syaoran." Just as she did the previous day, Sakura casually nudged her foot against his. "There are other ways to feel better about yourself. There are a lot of healthy ways to boost your self-esteem."

"You know, you should try taking your own advice." Syaoran's familiar smirk returned, and for some reason unbeknownst to her, Sakura felt relieved.

"I guess we both have to work on our self-esteem." Sakura smiled weakly. "You don't need a heartbreaking business to feel good, Syaoran. You can feel good by spending time with people who care about you."

"Sakura?" Syaoran lifted his head. He was finally looking at her.

Sakura sipped her tea, peering at him over the rim of her cup. "Hm?"

"I'm going to stop." This was it. Syaoran hadn't foreseen this decision, but it was something he was sure of now. If he had even the slightest chance with Sakura, he had to start giving up his dirty duties. He had to stop being afraid of sacrificing his guilty pleasures.

But Sakura could only stare at him with wide eyes.

"Stop what?" she asked, a little dumbfounded. She paused, and then her eyes widened even more. It nearly killed Syaoran; her large, sparkling green eyes were piercing right into his heart and she didn't even know it. "Your… your business?"

"Y-yeah," Syaoran forced out the little word, trying to keep his composure. He was, after all, falling for a girl who had just given him the most adorable yet aghast expression ever. "I mean— it might not count for much since we're graduating in less than two months, but—"

Sakura nearly spilled her drink as she launched forward and flung her arms around Syaoran's shoulders. "That makes me so glad to hear! This is great!" She tightened her embrace. "You _do_ have a conscience! You _do_ have a heart! You're human after all!"

"Sa—kura—" Syaoran grunted. His own drink had already tipped over; his remaining tea was now dotted across the blanket like faint blots of ink across paper. "Can't— breathe—"

He reached down and sank his fingers into Sakura's stomach. Sakura dropped her drink as she jolted away and landed on her back, giggling and gasping. "No, not this again!"

When Syaoran laughed and came after her with his claws, Sakura shoved him back and attacked him with her own tickles, frantically searching for his most ticklish spot. When she grazed his neck, Syaoran began to crack up. Sakura grinned triumphantly. "Found it!"

"Damnit— Sakura! S-stop it!"

"Oh, sweet, sweet revenge!"

"H-hey! Have you— f-forgotten— we're in a c-cemet-tery!"

They were rolling across the grass now, practically wrestling, and Syaoran was shocked at how much of an opponent Sakura proved to be. They both hooted with laughter as they tumbled down the hill, bits of grass clinging to their clothing and hair.

"C'mon! Stop it!" Syaoran pleaded for the umpteenth time, but Sakura's hands remained wiggling at his neck. His cheeks were flushed and sore from grinning too wide and his stomach was in knots. Their rolling bodies skidded to a stop at the bottom of the hill, and Syaoran took this sudden halt as an opportunity to grab Sakura's forearms and tug her hands away from his neck.

Their bodies and faces were ridiculously close.

And they weren't laughing anymore.

Syaoran's chest rapidly rose and fell as he began to catch his breath. His hair was more of a mess than it usually was.

"Huh." He narrowed his eyes slightly as he stared straight at Sakura, who was panting as heavily as he was. His voice was slightly raspy and his stare was intense. "That's weird."

"What?" Sakura replied breathily. "What's weird? Is there something on my fa—"

She tried lifting a hand to touch her cheek, but Syaoran kept a firm grip on her wrists. Sakura blinked anxiously, flushing a light pink as she finally noticed that Syaoran was beneath her and she was leaning over him, her knees between his legs.

"No. That's the thing." Syaoran's eyes were still locked against Sakura's face. His gaze traveled over her chin, her cheeks, her nose, her forehead, her messy bangs. His arms slid back a little and, whether he meant to or not, he tugged Sakura's wrists toward him and pulled her further down, causing her face to be a mere half-inch away from his own. "You're even prettier up close."

Sakura's quivering eyes widened slightly. If Syaoran hadn't been speaking so quietly and moving his mouth so minimally, his lips could have brushed against hers. Her doe-eyes were an innocent, glimmering green, and his unmoving, powered gaze of amber could have belonged to a wolf. He could have been hunting her just now, with the way he tightly possessed her wrists.

"When I'm usually this physically close to a girl, it's easier for me to spot their imperfections. So they look better from afar." His grip loosened slightly. "But up close and personal, they're not as pretty." After a heart-wrenching moment of staring and staying in such a position, Syaoran finally released Sakura and drew away. He moved out from beneath Sakura's thin frame and proceeded to pick the grass out of his hair. "I guess you're an exception."

"… Oh." Sakura mumbled numbly, staring down at her lap. For some reason, her fingers were trembling. Had Syaoran momentarily cut off her blood circulation or was it something else?

"Well, we should get back to—" As Syaoran was about to trudge back up the hill, a flicker of pain flashed across his face. "Ah, damn, what the—"

He was breathing heavily again. As he grimaced, he used his left hand to lift up his right sleeve. His eyes narrowed as he noted the condition of his shoulder. It was turning a feverish shade of red, and a tiny, black needle was protruding from his skin. "Did I just… get stung by a bee?"

Sakura quickly stood and rushed to Syaoran's side. "Yeah, it looks like you did… don't touch it!" She grabbed Syaoran's hand as he tried to pick out the bee sting. She frowned when she noticed Syaoran's paler complexion and ragged breaths. "Syaoran, are you—? H-hold on. Don't pull it out with your fingers, it'll just squeeze out more of the venom. Do you have your wallet on you?"

Syaoran didn't respond right away. Sakura shook her head, feeling stupid for wasting time with questions. She hastily yet gingerly reached behind Syaoran to pull his wallet out of his back pocket and retrieve his driver's license. She used the card to scrape out the bee stinger; at this point, he had collapsed to the ground and Sakura was kneeling beside him.

"You're so cold…" Sakura whispered, her hand resting against his arm.

"It's hard to— I can't— I can't breathe—"

"Are you allergic to…" Sakura mentally berated herself for wasting time with questions again. Syaoran's breaths were now mere gasps, and suddenly seeing him this vulnerable summoned forth a fear she hadn't experienced before. She gave Syaoran's hand a quick squeeze of assurance before sprinting up the hill to retrieve her cell phone.

Seven minutes later, the cemetery's serene silence shattered, like an iron fist punching into a thin wall of glass. An ambulance's siren began to echo in the distance.

* * *

**A/N: **Hey, hey! I'm still alive! I'm so sorry for taking months to update. I blame school. But excuses won't help me finish up this fanfic, and I have every intention of doing so. I'm also working on a new CCS story that I will upload once this one is done! Hopefully you guys will be interested in it. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter even though I threw in a cliffhanger. I'll try to update soon, because I really like what I have planned for the next chapter and I can't wait for you guys to read it. I love you guys and your patience!


	13. the lips of a heartbreaker

**Gallery of Broken Hearts  
**(13: the lips of a heartbreaker)

It all happened in a matter of minutes— seconds, maybe, he wasn't really sure— but all Syaoran knew for certain was that he hadn't been so close to death at any other point in his short and slightly pathetic life. He hardly remembered blearily seeing the sunset over the cemetery's hills— an oddly bright orange blur in muddled smears of blue. He hardly remembered his throat closing up like two walls quickly slamming into one another, leaving no room for air to pass through. He barely remembered feeling Sakura's warm hand against his clammy, cold forehead. He only slightly remembered being lifted onto a stretcher and being carefully hauled into the ambulance, which had sirens that wailed obnoxiously all the way to the hospital.

The things he could clearly remember were bits and pieces of his past, his childhood, which all seemed to rush through his disoriented brain in speedy segments: That one time he cheated on his first Algebra exam, that one time he accidentally walked in on his oldest sister making out with her first boyfriend, that one time he ate lunch alone in the boys' restroom after Minako moved away, that one time in middle school when he realized that Sakura didn't look so much like a mouse anymore, but that she was actually kind of cute—

After a while, he stopped remembering, whether he wanted to or not.

Blackness had taken over. He had no idea that he was lying prone on a hospital bed, the starched blankets pulled up to his armpits, vital fluids entering his body through a needle pierced into his right forearm. He also had no idea that fifteen minutes prior to his total blackout, he had been given a sharp shot of epinephrine to reopen the closed passage to his lungs, and Sakura was holding his hand the entire time.

She still was.

It could have been two seconds, several hours, or an eternity— again, he wasn't really sure— but after a certain amount of time, a soft, sniffling noise brought him back to reality.

He didn't dare open his eyes just yet. He was afraid of what he would see. He only listened.

"S-Syaoran…"

It was Sakura's voice. Was she crying? With his eyes still closed, he furrowed his brow in the slightest. There was a tremor in her voice that he hadn't heard before. He hadn't heard it when she was crying in the halls, her bedroom, or at Meiling's party. This time was different. Her voice was barely perceptible and on the precipice of breaking— soft and weak and as fragile as the thinnest fragment of a half-melted snowflake. He could barely catch her words, but they were still there, and they were for him.

"I shouldn't have… I shouldn't have roughhoused with you like that. If we hadn't fallen down that hill… or if we had just eaten at your house… then you wouldn't have…" Her trembling words were lost in another whimper, and at this point Syaoran noticed that she held one of his hands in both of hers. "I'm so sorry. This is my fault."

Syaoran's fingers twitched slightly before giving Sakura's hands a weak squeeze.

"Don't be stupid," he mumbled, suddenly appalled at how worn-out his voice sounded, as if he had just spent an entire hour screaming his lungs out. His eyelids finally lifted. At first, he saw nothing but a white ceiling. Once he turned his head to the side, he found himself facing a very troubled Sakura, who was sitting beside his bed with teary eyes and a quivering lower lip. He sighed exhaustedly. "Don't cry. It's not your fault. It was that damn bee. And the allergy I was never aware of, apparently."

"But—"

"But nothing. Hey," Syaoran gave Sakura's hands another squeeze, but it was firmer this time, "it's a good thing you scraped out that stinger when you did. Thanks."

Sakura gave him a slight nod and opted to say nothing else. Syaoran examined her flushed cheeks, pink nose, and damp eyes; she seemed more shaken up from the experience than he did. But it made sense. He had done nothing but lose his breath and knock out for an uncertain amount of time, while Sakura had to witness all the technical hospital procedures. He mildly wondered if he had shed any blood.

In spite of it all, however, she hadn't left him.

There was a window beside him; it was dark outside. It seemed as though the sun had long since set.

Syaoran wet his lips and prepared to say something else, but a catchy, familiar rhythm began to reverberate from somewhere nearby. It took a moment for him to realize that his cell phone was ringing. Sakura slipped her hands out of Syaoran's and reached into her purse, handing him his phone. Upon glancing at the caller ID, Syaoran gulped.

He pressed a button to pick up the call and shut his eyes, bringing the phone to his ear.

"What's up, Mom?" Syaoran's tone was casual, and therefore inappropriate considering his current condition. "So, you'll never guess what happened…"

It was almost as if he was telling his mother about a joke he overheard instead of his near-death experience.

For the next half hour, Sakura's eyes anxiously shifted around the room as she involuntarily listened to a woman lecture Syaoran over the phone.

"Mom, I already told you… I'll be fine. No, I didn't know I was allergic, either. Don't worry about it. Yeah, our insurance will cover it, right? Okay. Okay. No, Mom. Okay." There was an abrupt pause, and Syaoran raised his eyebrows, suddenly swerving his gaze toward Sakura. "Is that really necessary?"

Sakura blinked confusedly, mouthing, '_What is?_'

"She wants to talk to you," Syaoran replied, extending the phone to her. Sakura's eyes bugged out and she hesitated. His voice dropped to a whisper. "C'mon, don't keep her waiting."

Sakura quickly took the phone from Syaoran and, after clearing her throat, tried her best to sound calm. "Hello?"

"Hello, there. This is Syaoran's mother, Yelan." The woman had a medium-deep, tranquil voice. It was rather soothing, and Sakura began to feel more at ease. "This is the friend who helped Syaoran after his allergic reaction?"

"I tried my best… I'm just glad he's okay." Sakura bit her lip during the short silence that followed. She tried to picture Yelan Li's current expression, which was an extremely difficult feat due to the fact that she hadn't seen this woman before. From the sound of her voice, Sakura could only go as far as to picture a regal woman who carried herself with a dignified air.

"May I have your name, please?"

"Sakura. Sakura Kinomoto."

"Sakura. My daughters and I would love to meet you when we return from our vacation. Thank you for helping my son." Another pause. Sakura nearly started to cry all over again at the genuine gratitude in this woman's voice. "He needs more people like you in his life."

_He needs more people like you in his life._

What was that supposed to mean, exactly?

Sakura didn't take the time to analyze the statement. Instead, she smiled and replied, "I would like to meet you, too. Please enjoy the rest of your vacation— I'll make sure he recovers completely. Goodbye, Ms. Li."

Syaoran raised his eyebrows as Sakura returned his phone to him.

"Mom? Yeah. I know. She's nice." Color began to slowly flood into Syaoran's cheeks again. He avoided Sakura's curious gaze as he continued to redden, because apparently his mother had said something that embarrassed him. "No… it's not like that. I swear. She has a boyfriend."

Suddenly, Sakura wasn't so pale anymore, either.

"I'm alright now, for the most part. I'll talk to you later. Love you, too. Bye." Syaoran hung up and dropped the phone onto his lap, sighing heavily.

"Tired?" Sakura asked quietly, turning her face away a bit as she waited for the pinkness in her cheeks to subside.

"A little…" Syaoran replied, settling back into his pillows and breathing in deeply. His eyelids were at half-mast, and the coppery brown in his irises seemed slightly dimmed. "It's kind of scary, you know. Not being able to breathe. Just… being cut off from your lungs like that. It's bizarre. We don't pay attention to every breath we take. We take it for granted. You don't really expect it to be taken away from you… and when it is, it's frightening as hell."

Syaoran shifted his gaze to Sakura once more, watching her stare at anything but him. Why wouldn't she look at him? He felt a little frustrated, but he also understood why she possibly felt awkward at the moment. They had never been this close before, in the past. They had always competed closely and fiercely as rivals, but that had been the extent of their relationship.

They had always been there, right next to each other, all this time. Taking each other for granted.

_I didn't really expect you to be taken away from me._

And now he was frightened as hell.

"Sakura." When she finally moved her eyes to meet his, Syaoran's voice threatened to break, as if someone had swung a hammer toward a mirror and stopped a millisecond too soon. He cleared his throat before trying again. "Sakura, I—"

The door burst open.

"Syaoran Li, you idiot!" Meiling's piercing voice rang throughout the hospital room, making Sakura wince while Syaoran bit back a scowl. "Until your mother and sisters return, all of your meals will be administered by me and my personal chef!" She thrust a finger toward her cousin, her perfectly-manicured nail glinting in the light. "What the hell were you thinking, getting stung by a bee like that? And more importantly: How in the world did you not know you were allergic?"

Before Syaoran could answer, two more people stepped into the room, seemingly accompanying Meiling. It was Ryo Ito and Tomoyo Daidouji.

"Wait, you two know each other?" Sakura was standing now. She pointed back and forth between Meiling and Ryo.

Meiling laughed loudly. "Only since like— five minutes ago. He practically groveled on his knees to let him follow me into the room, since only relatives are allowed to bring visitors. I guess you're an exception because you brought him here. Goodness. I was only going to bring Tomoyo in, and then this fool popped up. You're lucky your boyfriend's cute, Sakura."

Sakura blinked as Ryo seized her in an embrace, nearly swinging her left and right. "Sakura! Are you okay?" He held her at arm's length and frowned. "The bee didn't get you, too, did it?"

"Ryo. Bees can only sting once in their lifetime, then they die." Sakura drew back from his grip and rested a hand on his shoulder, lowering her voice to a murmur. "Now isn't a good time for this… okay?"

Ryo didn't say anything for a moment. His facial expression immediately became gentler and he nodded, slightly embarrassed. He exchanged cryptic looks with Sakura, and there seemed to be an unspoken understanding between them. Syaoran could have sworn that it was almost something more than simply a girlfriend calming her boyfriend down, but maybe he was just being paranoid again.

"Alright, alright," Ryo finally said, nodding and turning to Syaoran. "I hope you recover soon, man. I'm sure Sakura will bother you until you do. Right, Sakura?"

Sakura began to smile. "Right!"

"I guess I'll leave now, then. I'll text you, hun." Before excusing himself and ducking out the room, he leaned over and gave Sakura a quick peck on the cheek.

_Beep beep beep—_

"Syaoran!" Meiling's eyes widened as she watched the display screen of the machine beside Syaoran's bed, which monitored information such as his heart rate. The steady beeping began to quicken. "Your heart rate is increasing! Are you okay?"

"Fucking. Peachy." Syaoran gritted his teeth and grabbed a fistful of his bed sheets, trying to rid his head of the mental image of Ryo's chaste kiss on Sakura's cheek. He really wished he didn't have to get so worked up over it. "I'm fine. It's just odd. With all the people in this room right now. Hard to breathe and whatever."

"Maybe we should go, Meiling…" Tomoyo finally spoke up, albeit quietly. Her arm was linked with Sakura's now, but it was clear that she was rather uncomfortable. Syaoran knew why.

"Wait." Syaoran struggled to compose himself, and the machine's beeping gradually regained a normal pace. "Girls, can I have a moment alone with Tomoyo? Just for a little bit."

Meiling and Sakura looked incredulous for a second. Tomoyo narrowed her eyes.

"Why?" questioned Meiling, crossing her arms over her chest.

Sakura's look of suspicion from the previous day returned, but she seemed to decide against saying anything about it. She shook her head and reached out toward Meiling. "Let's just step out for a bit, Meiling."

"Fine, fine," Meiling sighed, reluctantly relenting and exiting the room with Sakura.

The door closed with a clicking sound. Tomoyo didn't budge from her place against the wall. She had her hands laced in front of her and an unmoving, unreadable gaze focused on Syaoran. He had to admit that it was kind of intimidating.

"Tomoyo," Syaoran began, his voice already filled with an apologetic tone, "about the other day in Drama…"

"You were being impulsive."

"Yeah."

"You were being stupid."

"… Yeah."

"You were acting on emotions of anger and spite and jealousy, and you wanted to see if you could make Sakura angry and spiteful and jealous, too."

"I'm sorry, Tomoyo. I really am."

"I know you are, Syaoran, but acting so recklessly won't get you anywhere! Your heart feels for Sakura, but instead you kissed me— her best friend. That's not the way things work. That's not the way you get the girl. Sakura's not just another girl, Syaoran. She's not one of your business cases. You can't be manipulative to win over her… you can't use your sweet words and good looks alone."

Syaoran stared downward. "I know…"

"Well, if you _know_, then be more straightforward with her." Tomoyo sat down on the chair beside Syaoran's bed, dropping her voice to a whisper. "I don't know if this will backfire on me… but please, _please_ don't tell her I told you this."

Syaoran lifted his head, his eyes swimming with anxiety and apprehension.

"She really does care about you," Tomoyo mumbled, traveling her gaze over to the window. "More than you know. More than _she_ knows."

"How do you…" Syaoran trailed off, and although he meant to say, '_How do you know?_', he reminded himself that Tomoyo was wise beyond her years. He didn't know how or why— he just knew that it was embedded in her personality. It was the the type of person she was, perhaps in the same way Syaoran was the type who wouldn't let people get too close, or the way Sakura put up her defenses so she wouldn't get hurt.

"I've known it since elementary school," the raven-haired girl continued, "ever since you walked into our first grade class as a new student."

Syaoran's voice was as quiet as Tomoyo's now. "But she and Ryo—"

"Be careful, okay?" Tomoyo rose from the chair. "That's all I can say right now."

Not a single word left Syaoran mouth; he didn't know how to reply, anyway. He could only lay there with a puzzled look on his face.

"I forgive you for idiotically kissing me in class." There was a hint of a demure smile at the corner of Tomoyo's pink lips. "Just promise me that your next kiss will actually mean something."

Syaoran nodded, surprisingly without a bit of hesitation. "I can promise that."

"Good." Tomoyo finally gave him a genuine smile. "Feel better soon, Syaoran."

The very second Tomoyo left the room, Meiling zoomed right back in.

"Alright, love," Meiling began, resting her hands on her hips. "I've got a hot date in about an hour, but I'll be here in the morning to pick you up when they release you. Sakura promised me that she would watch over you until then."

"What?" Syaoran furrowed his brow and shook his head at Sakura, who reappeared behind Meiling. "You really didn't have to give in to Meiling's orders like that."

Meiling scoffed and shot him a disdainful glance. "Must you assume things, dear cousin? She offered. I'm not forcing her to stay."

"Really?" Syaoran lifted an eyebrow, struggling to keep his face from flooding with disbelief.

Sakura sighed. "Really. I am a decent human being, after all."

Meiling leaned down and hooked an arm around Syaoran's neck, giving him a tight embrace and a fierce kiss on the forehead. "I love you, Syaoran Li, but stick to attracting girls and the occasional boy, okay?" She drew away and shook her head, smiling. "Let bees mate with bees."

The next minute was filled with several exchanges of goodbyes and words of finality before Syaoran was ultimately left alone with Sakura. The unsettled, slightly tense silence that had been present in the room earlier seemed to return, possibly stronger now. Syaoran shifted uncomfortably beneath the mildly itchy hospital blanket while Sakura sat on the chair beside the bed. She locked her eyes against the large window and the shadowy katsura tree behind it. The leaves were heart-shaped.

Syaoran opted to follow Sakura's gaze.

"They look more like hearts in the spring," Syaoran quietly explained, breaking the silence with the random fact. Nighttime was deepening, but it was still easy to spot the tree's trademark leaves.

"Because they turn red, right?" Sakura replied under her breath, slightly craning forward to rest her elbows on her thighs. A thoughtful sparkle began to reflect in her eyes as she tilted her head and continued to admire the tree.

"Right." It didn't matter how dull their conversation was. As long as they were filling the space between them in some way, even if it was with just words, Syaoran was okay with that. "All because of a pigment called—"

"—Anthocyanin."

"God, we're such nerds."

"That's why we're competing for valedictorian."

Syaoran's lips began to hint at the beginning of a grin. "But then again, you're captain of the cheerleading squad—"

"So I'm going against stereotypes. And that means I'm—"

"Weird. So you're a weird nerd."

"And since when do nerds seduce hoards of girls?" Sakura rebutted, squinting at him. "Doesn't that go against stereotypes, too?"

"Then I guess I'm a weird nerd, too."

"No, you're a pervy nerd."

"So now I'm pervy, huh?" Syaoran playfully retaliated.

"Forgive me," Sakura sighed, leaning back in the chair and crossing her arms over her chest. "To be a pervert, you'd probably have to start a business that revolved around seducing and manipulating girls…"

Syaoran faked a surprised gasp. "Oh, wait a second! That's a brilliant idea!"

"Isn't it?" Sakura was smiling now— on the verge of laughing, even, and Syaoran was as well. "You'd probably make bank."

"I would, wouldn't I?" Syaoran smirked.

"You'd probably break a lot of hearts."

Syaoran's smirk gradually softened into a sad sort of smile, and his eyes were back on the katsura tree's leaves. He thought of what would happen to those heart-shaped leaves in the fall, when they would turn crisp and become as fragile as ever, falling to the ground only to be trampled upon— into hundreds of tiny, irreparable fragments. Like broken hearts.

He mumbled, "I did."

The room was quiet again. It stayed that way for a prolonged amount of time, and Syaoran and Sakura had practically no choice but to sit in their own separate clouds of racing thoughts.

While Sakura kept her gaze on her clasped hands, however, Syaoran was observing her through the corner of his eye. Her hair looked soft. Her eyes were twinkling. She could have been spending her Saturday night in a great array of ways— with family, with friends, with Ryo. But instead, her hours were ticking away in a hospital room, alone with the one guy had once despised. Syaoran tried to piece everything together to form the answer to the question, '_How did we get here?_' but to no avail. It was just the way things were.

He was here with her now, and that was all that mattered at the moment.

"Sunflowers."

Caught off-guard, Syaoran blinked and moved his head to fully meet Sakura's gaze. "… Huh?"

"I'm allergic to sunflowers," Sakura elaborated straightforwardly. She shrugged. "And you're allergic to bees. Now we both know what the other is allergic to."

Syaoran's smirk suddenly returned. "Well, you don't have to worry about me surprising you with a bouquet of sunflowers or anything like that. I'll leave that to Ryo."

"And you don't have to worry about me slipping bees under your bed sheets… as long as you don't upset me." She wagged a finger at him. "So if you become valedictorian— watch out."

They shared a laugh, and through their brief exchange, the silence that followed was no longer filled with tension. It was comfortable.

Sakura ended the silence once more. She was staring at her hands again. "I still watch 'Sesame Street.'"

"Um… what?" Syaoran let out a very short, confused laugh. "Why are you telling me this?"

She disregarded his question. "It's a guilty pleasure. I catch it late at night all the time. It's one of the things from my childhood that I can't let go of."

Syaoran began to understand what was going on.

Sakura's next words came out in a quiet, steady stream that flowed as a mixture of unconfessed secrets and random facts. "I like Frosted Flakes. They're my favorite. I listen to Mozart while I study. And that one time I told you that I knew what jello shots were… I lied." Sakura continued, her voice low and hushed. Her confessions began to take on a darker tone. "It takes me two hours to shower because it's the only way I can forget about things for a while. Even if it's just a while. But I'm afraid of deep water. It's not that I can't swim… I'm just paranoid that something will grab my feet and drag me to the bottom and drown me. And… hospitals make me uncomfortable. Because…" She wet her lips, swallowing hard before resuming. "Because the last time I was in one, my mother was dying from cancer."

Syaoran hadn't realized that was holding his breath. He expelled a sigh through his teeth. "Sakura…"

Sakura shook her head, silently indicating that she didn't want his input. It was also another way of wordlessly saying, '_Your turn._'

He didn't know where to start, but that was the point.

"When I was a kid… it was so hard to watch shows with fathers in them." Syaoran's fingers momentarily curled into fists, as if he held all of the tension in his body within his hands. After he relaxed his fingers, he felt slightly limp and calmer. "I never knew my dad, and it used to make me so mad to see kids interact with theirs." He paused, chewing on his lower lip before continuing. "I hate squirrels. I'm afraid of them. It's the way their beady eyes always seem to piece into my soul— I_ hate_ it. I only study when I need a distraction. I only eat when I'm bored. And that one time you told me that you knew what jello shots were… I knew you were lying." He stopped and smiled at Sakura, who couldn't help but smile back. "In elementary school— god, this is going to sound so stupid— while the other boys were pretending to be cowboys and wrestlers and robots… I wanted to be a prince. It seemed kind of 'fruity' or 'off' to others, but I grew up with four females and no father figure. Somewhere down the road… I got disenchanted. Now, being 'princely' is the last thing I want to be."

"It's nice to see the human side of you." Sakura's smile became evidently gentler. "I'm glad you're not princely." She pushed her hair behind her ears, the thoughtful glint returning to her eyes. "You're fine the way you are. Looking for guys like princes is an unrealistic expectation for girls… that's what I've come to learn. I thought Eriol was heaven-sent. I thought wrong. He's not a bad guy; he's just not the perfect guy I thought he was. There are no perfect guys out there. I think you helped me realize me that, and that's not a bad thing."

Syaoran idly moved his gaze over to the lighting fixture above him. "I don't think loving a girl is about being prince-like, or solely about smiling and laughing with her. It's not about gifts or hiding the truth from her, either. It's knowing her flaws. It's knowing that she can be a pain in the ass. It's knowing her ugly qualities and still thinking she's beautiful. It's seeing her without all the makeup, the literal and figurative makeup, and loving her all the same." Syaoran exhaled slowly. "I'm not really sure what love is, still. But if there's anything I definitely know…" His sentence faded as he hesitated. "It's that you're— you're the one teaching me all of these things."

Sakura's eyes widened ever so slightly, and Syaoran quickly added to his speech. "Now, I'm not saying I'm in love with you or anything— or even interested in you— I mean, damn, that would be a disaster, wouldn't it?"

"P-pretty much…"

"I'm just saying… being friends with you makes me want to treat girls better."

Suddenly, Sakura was beaming at him, and Syaoran could have sworn that there were tiny traces of tears forming at the rims of her eyes.

"Would you be able to handle a hug from me right now?" Sakura asked him, her eyes wide and glittery.

And how could Syaoran possibly say no?

A few seconds after Syaoran gave his consent, Sakura stood up and leaned over the hospital bed, slipping her arms around Syaoran's shoulders and hugging him tightly. She made sure to stray from disconnecting any cords or fluids, but what she _didn't_ realize was that she was pressing a particular button on the side of the bed with her hip.

All of a sudden, the upper half of Syaoran's bed jerked upward, and a familiar scene replayed— their faces were two inches apart.

But this time, Syaoran was looking directly at Sakura's rosy lips, and he didn't bother to be vague about it in the least.

_She smells like cherry blossoms._

"I made a promise today," Syaoran whispered, and he knew that Sakura could feel his breath tingle at the surface of her mouth. He felt Sakura nearly pull away, but he had returned the embrace and was still holding her against him.

Perhaps an injured wolf could still hunt.

Sakura watched Syaoran's mouth as he spoke. He had the lips of a boy who had met the lips of many girls; the lips of a heartbreaker. This was the third time she had been so close to those lips— once in her bedroom, the other time in the cemetery. And each time, it was difficult to not notice that those lips seemed to be carved by some enlightened, skilled artist— an artist who might have been carving with the thought, '_If there were ever a pair of lips that could drive every girl mad, what would they look like?_'

Sakura murmured back, "And what would that be?"

"That my next kiss would actually mean something."

Several seconds passed. The two-inch space between their faces turned into one, and neither Syaoran nor Sakura realized it.

_Soap._

But Sakura was the one to pull away first. She broke the hug and gently tugged out of Syaoran's hold, stepping back and trembling slightly as she fiddled with her auburn locks.

_He smells like soap._

Sakura picked up her purse.

"Are you going home now?" Syaoran asked her as casually as he could, as if they hadn't nearly kissed a moment earlier.

"Don't be stupid," Sakura replied, echoing his words from earlier as she fished out her wallet. "I'm still staying. I'm just gonna grab a snack from the vending machine outside."

Syaoran's eyes followed Sakura as she exited, and he kept his disposition indifferent. The very moment the door clicked shut, he sighed heavily and loudly and cursed under his breath. He squeezed his eyes closed, thumped the back of his head against the pillow behind him, and grumbled to himself.

"What the hell just happened?"

Around the corner, a bag of chips descended into a vending machine's dispenser. Sakura's quivering hands retrieved the bag; she stared at it with a knitted brow. She wasn't even hungry. She had lost her appetite minutes earlier. She shut her eyes, thumped her forehead against the front of the vending machine, and muttered to herself.

"… What the hell just happened?"

* * *

**A/N:** I'll tell you what the hell just happened. Not a kiss, that's for sure! Sorry, loves. I hope you liked the chapter, at least! I'm sorry it was a little short. The next one will be a lot longer. Summer is fast approaching so I promise I will wrap up this story of mine as quickly as I can.

Anyway, I've been receiving several questions lately regarding my story and myself (lol, why would you want to know about silly little me?), but not everyone who has been asking questions seems to have a Fanfiction account, meaning I can't reply to their review— and I don't want to be rude and ignore anyone's questions, so I'll just leave a Q&A here for anyone who cares to read it.

Q: What does Ryo look like?  
A: I believe I described his appearance when he first showed up in Chapter 8. Black hair, goldenrod eyes, light skin, light freckles. And in one other chapter it's mentioned that he has a strong build.

Q: Should we be worried about Minako taking Syaoran away from Sakura?  
A: She's a sweet girl. Why on earth would she do that?

Q: Was Sakura jealous when Syaoran kissed Tomoyo?  
A: That's up to you to decide. :)

Q: Does Syaoran sleep with his clients' girlfriends?  
A: No, he can trigger breakups without having to do that. It was already established in Chapter 8 that he's a virgin. Unbelievable? Maybe. But deep down he really is a decent guy and wouldn't have the heart to go that far with a girl for the sake of his business. And he's never had a steady girlfriend, so…

Q: Do you have a Tumblr?  
A: Yes… haha. I must've given that away through my constant _Mean Girls_ references and that "forever alone" comment back in Chapter 4.

Q: What ethnicity are you?  
A: I'm Filipino.


	14. the dumbing down of love

**Gallery of Broken Hearts**  
(14: the dumbing down of love)

The sky opened up and it began to rain.

Sakura let out a squeak and leaped up from the stone bench she was sitting on, trying to keep the notes in her hands from getting soaked. The ink was already beginning to bleed across the paper.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me," Sakura sighed.

Suddenly, a black umbrella appeared above her head. Sakura turned around and found herself meeting Syaoran's amused gaze. He tweaked an eyebrow at the pile of notes in her hands.

"Doing some last-minute studying before finals?" he inquired, watching her pick up her backpack and sling it over her shoulder. "You know, that might stress you out even more."

Sakura nodded, veering her eyes back to her notes. "But I have to retain all this information if I don't want the History final to totally kill me…" She forced a smile. "At least I know we'll do great on our Drama final."

They began making their way to their classroom. Sakura tossed Syaoran a grateful glance as he continued to share his umbrella with her. The rain continued to pour, gradually becoming stronger by the minute. Sakura squinted at something indistinguishable in her notes. Was it a graph of some sort?

_Oh, no._

It was a doodle of a bunny.

_I'm doomed,_ Sakura thought miserably.

"What is it with this weather, anyway?" Sakura pouted.

"It's June gloom, baby!" Syaoran replied with a grin, much too cheerily for Sakura's current stressed out state. He laughed and ducked as she swatted at him with her papers.

"Hmm, it's June already, huh?" Sakura observed Syaoran as he folded up his umbrella. They were now within the shaded safety of Tomoeda High's halls. "I can't believe it. We're graduating soon."

"Yep. Graduating and leaving this hell hole for good." There was a sense of relief in Syaoran's voice, but also an underlying hint of uncertainty. What was to become of his relationship with Sakura once they left Tomoeda High? Would they still talk to each other?

Was their rivalry the only thing keeping them together?

Sakura frowned as soon as she noticed Syaoran's sudden silence and the distracted look in his eyes. She watched as he walked into their History class, tucking the umbrella under his arms and pushing a hand through his hair. He always seemed to perform that gesture whenever he was deep in thought.

They both took their seats without another word, and Sakura was left staring at the back of Syaoran's head for what seemed to be the final time.

As soon as the bell rang to initiate the beginning of class, Mr. Tohno began passing out the final exam. There was a still silence in the room, save for the occasional tapping foot and nervous sigh. Many students were depending on this test in order to pass the class and graduate. In Sakura and Syaoran's case, it was a contributing factor to whether they would be valedictorian or not.

Sakura gripped the pencil in her hands, feeling the skin of her palms grow cold and slightly damp. She shut her eyes and sucked in a deep breath. When she heard Syaoran's soft voice before her, her eyelids fluttered open. He was tilting his head to the side, glancing at her through the corner of his eye.

"Good luck," he whispered, before fully facing the front once more.

Sakura smiled. From across the room, Ryo caught her gaze and gave her a nod and thumbs up of encouragement. Her grin weakened before she forced it to broaden.

"You will have exactly one hour to complete the exam. No more, no less." Once every student had an exam placed on their desk, Mr. Tohno stared down at his watch and monotonously said, "Begin."

Almost all at once, everyone's pencils hit the paper before them and began scribbling.

Twenty minutes later, the unthinkable happened.

Syaoran stood up and pounded a fist on his desk, turning around and glaring daggers at the student sitting beside Sakura.

"Do you think you can just take advantage of her like that?" Syaoran demanded, obviously not caring that every eye was now focused on him. The student, who went by the name of Toji Natsuwa, stood up from his own seat and met Syaoran's glare with a heated look of his own.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Toji spat, a vein pulsing near his temple. Sakura silently widened her eyes and glanced back and forth between the two boys towering over her.

"You were cheating off Sakura's test!" Syaoran shot back. "You weren't even being slick about it, man! You were so damn noisy, shuffling and fidgeting around like that! I saw you through my peripheral vision."

If it weren't for the desk separating Syaoran and Toji, a fight could have erupted right then and there. Fortunately, Mr. Tohno was between the two of them now, nearly acting as a stoic referee.

"You two need to silence yourselves and resume the exam," Mr. Tohno told them flatly, his dark eyes shifting from Syaoran to Toji.

But Syaoran wouldn't listen. He didn't sit down. He was evidently pissed. "Sakura pulled an unhealthy amount of all-nighters for this test, and you can't just leech off of her hard work."

"I wasn't _cheating_," Toji insisted, his eyes turning into menacing slits. However, the defensiveness in his voice and the sudden rigidness of his body seemed to indicate otherwise.

"Yeah? Bullshit."

"I'm warning you two…" Mr. Tohno's voice grew sterner.

Finally, Sakura spoke up. "Syaoran, just let it go." She bit her lower lip. "Come on, it's not worth getting in trouble for."

"Really, Sakura?" Syaoran gave her a distasteful look. "You're actually willing to share answers with this idiot?"

"Hey!" Toji growled.

Now, Sakura was on her feet as well. Her nerves for the exam translated into trembling and panic. "I said, let it go!"

"Li. Kinomoto. Katsuwa." Mr. Tohno's gaze darkened. "To the office. Take your things and leave your exams here."

Syaoran, Sakura, and Toji shut their mouths a second too late.

"_Now_," Mr. Tohno hissed, narrowing his eyes and pointing toward the door.

There were tears of disbelief in Sakura's eyes as she snatched her backpack and headed out. Syaoran and Toji exchanged spiteful glances before gathering up their own belongings and leaving the classroom full of stunned peers and one furious teacher.

* * *

The counselor's office door burst open, and out came Sakura, Syaoran, and Toji. While Toji took a different route to return to History (most likely to avoid Syaoran's wrath), Syaoran and Sakura walked through the same hallway.

Sakura squinted up at the gray, overcast sky, curling her fingers into fists and shoving them into the pockets of her pink parka. She didn't know why, but she suddenly wanted the heavens to break open and once again release a rush of heavy rain. Maybe that way, she could drown out her aggravation.

She could hear Syaoran's footsteps several feet behind her.

"You shouldn't have done that," Sakura mumbled all of a sudden, dropping her gaze from the sky to the ground beneath her. She watched her white sneakers move slowly along the pavement. Much like the last time they had walked this hall together, she didn't seem to be in any hurry to return to class.

Syaoran slowed his pace so that he kept his distance from her. Even though he was behind her, he could notice the tension building up in her shoulders. She was as stiff as stone. She was upset at him. And it was making him upset, too, because all he wanted to do was help— but he had to screw it all up, _of course_.

"Sorry," Syaoran muttered back. "I didn't realize you were okay with people mooching off your answers."

He had expected Sakura to shrug off his sour comment, so his face took on a expression of bewilderment when she suddenly whipped around and glared at him. He stepped back as she began to raise her voice.

"That's not the point, Syaoran!" she began crossly, her eyes like green shards that could have sliced him to the bone. "Our grades are in jeopardy now. Who _cares_ if someone was cheating off my test? At the end of it all, Toji would have passed the class, at most. But my grade on that exam determines if I get to keep my A or not. If I can still be valedictorian or not."

Syaoran didn't know whether he wanted to laugh or punch a wall. If he did both, he would most definitely appear crazy— or maybe it was too late for that. This girl drove him _insane_.

"Why does becoming valedictorian matter so much to you, anyway?" Syaoran interrogated her, his own voice raising a decibel.

Sakura frowned at him.

_How was your first day of kindergarten, dear?_

"If you knew why," she replied slowly, her voice brimming with hostility, "then you would understand."

"Alright. Go ahead. Explain." Syaoran gestured toward her, resisting the urge to throw his head back and scream out in vexation. "Because I don't fucking get it. Do you think that, ten or twenty years from now, somebody will actually _care_ if you graduated valedictorian in high school? Why the hell is it so important to you?"

_I got the most gold stars today, and that means I'm at the top of the class—_

When Sakura only tightened her lips in lieu of a reply, Syaoran continued, not bothering to hide his growing irritation. "You just can't get rid of that old 'center of attention' habit, can you?"

_You make me so proud._

"You should just shut up, Syaoran," Sakura blurted out shakily, stomping a foot on the ground. Her hurt gaze intensified. For the second time that day, her eyes were beginning to blur over with gleaming tears. She hadn't noticed that she had been biting down on her tongue until she drew a bit of blood.

Syaoran couldn't stop himself— he let out a bitter laugh. He shook his head and roughly raked a hand through his hair as he evaluated the scene that he was currently standing in. So, they were back to _this_? It was unbelievable. After all the progress they seemed to make… they were back to arguing. And this time, a storm was brewing. Something— or rather, someone— was about to break.

"You know, the competition for the top rank was fun for a while, but now it's just getting annoying," Syaoran growled, taking two steps forward.

Sakura took two steps back. It was her turn to let out a spiteful laugh. It was official. She was going crazy, too. They were both going crazy. There was no turning back. She lifted her head so that the tears wouldn't fall.

_I like how it feels being at the top of the class…_

_… but it makes me happier when you're proud, Mommy._

"_Annoying_? Syaoran, you have no idea why it matters to me so much!" Sakura flared, feeling her lower lip tremble. "You don't know _anything_!"

"No, Sakura," Syaoran retaliated, his own voice beginning to shake as well. It scared him, because such a thing hardly happened. "_You_ don't know anything. There's something about me that you should have figured out weeks ago, a month ago, two months ago— maybe even _years_ ago, but you're so damn dense and so fucking clueless!"

"You're right, I must be clueless, because I don't even know what you're talking about anymore," Sakura snapped. "Do you really think you have the right to tell me that practically everything I do is for attention? At least I don't treat high school like it's some sort of game. It isn't a game. Life isn't a game. Beating out other students for the highest rank _isn't a game_, and earning money to seduce girls isn't, either! None of this is _fun_, Syaoran! We're under investigation for allegedly cheating, and now our grades—"

"—are in jeopardy, I know! I _know_. I get it." Syaoran let out a disgruntled exhale. "But we can't do anything about that right now. I _get_ it."

"No, you _don't_ get it!"

_I promise I'll always be the smartest student—_

The tingling heat behind Sakura's eyes became too much for her to bear. Her tears began to cascade in hot, tiny streams. "You don't get it at all!"

_So I can keep making you proud—_

Syaoran furrowed his brow. "Then _help_ me get it, help me understand! Why do you keep yelling at me?" He was frowning now, watching helplessly as the tears trickled down Sakura's face. There was nothing he could do but throw questions at her. "Why do I always make you cry?"

"Because you're _you_, Syaoran, and for most of my life I've _hated_ you!" Sakura cried out, stepping back once as Syaoran took another step forward.

"You don't hate me, Sakura," Syaoran shot back, shaking his head again. There was a burning sensation in his chest, and to anyone else it could have been heartburn or some other sort of bodily pain pertaining to the organs in his chest— but he had a hunch that it was just the feeling of his heart ripping open. And because his heart was splitting right down the middle, he couldn't help but yell, "You know that's complete and utter _bullshit_!"

The instant the profane word broke out of Syaoran's mouth, the school bell let out its shrill wail, and Sakura's next harsh words were immersed in the ringing.

"_Shut the hell up_!" Her voice was nearly raspy now. She could feel a damp warmth at her neck; her tears wouldn't stop spilling. "You're an idiot! You—"

Her self-control cracked; she felt her body lunge forward as her fists poised for pummeling—

"Agh, _damnit_!" But the instant she leapt forward, two thin yet unrelenting arms shot out and wrapped around Sakura's torso, yanking her back before she could attempt to do harm against her rival. It was Tomoyo. And for the first time, Sakura noticed that a crowd had gathered— a crowd of babbling students who wanted to know what all the fuss was about.

"Let me go, Tomoyo!" Sakura struggled against her best friend's hold, grunting and wincing as she jerked forth. She didn't get very far. Tomoyo had an iron grip. "Let me go! I want to _gouge his eyes out_!"

Syaoran hadn't moved from his spot at all. He met the wide, anxious and curious stares of his classmates with a fierce visage of his own, and only let himself flinch slightly as Sakura continued to swipe and swing at him with a heart-wrenching expression in her tear-filled eyes.

"You're such a goddamn kid, Sakura," Syaoran hissed, feeling his breathing grow shallow.

"I told you to shut up!"

"_Both_ of you need to shut up!" Tomoyo's voice was uncharacteristically loud— louder than anyone had heard her yell before, and she sounded like one seriously pissed off angel. The chattering and whooping and gasping of their fellow peers grew louder as the situation escalated.

"He doesn't get it— I made a promise—" Sakura felt her throat tighten up as her sobs shook her body. She clenched her hands around Tomoyo's arms, trying to pry herself away. "_Let me go_—"

Tomoyo whirled Sakura around so that they were facing each other. She pulled her sobbing mess of a friend into her arms. "Sakura. Shh. Please, _please_ calm down…"

The crowd continued to prattle on and on.

"What? There isn't going to be a fight?"

"Fight, fight! We wanna see some—"

"—the hell is going on? Syaoran? Why is Saku—"

"Syaoran! What did you do? You knock her up or—"

"—can't be possible, thought they hated each oth—"

"Syaoran, hey, Syaoran—"

"—bet neither of them's gonna be valedictor—"

"QUIET!"

A voice boomed over the halls, silencing every flapping mouth in the sea of high schoolers. It was a voice that students were not accustomed to hearing in anything but a monotonous tone.

"Syaoran. Sakura."

Syaoran and Sakura lifted their heads. Mr. Tohno stepped through the cluster of people, his normally tired eyes appearing sharp and disappointed. His arms were crossed over his chest.

Tomoyo released Sakura, who quietly struggled to pull herself together. Syaoran straightened his posture and forced in a breath.

"Come with me. Bickering so vehemently is unacceptable. It seems as though you two will have to return to the office sooner than anticipated."

It didn't take long for the crowd to disperse after Mr. Tohno had made his appearance. He beckoned the rivals with a hand and they silently followed him back into his empty classroom.

"I thought we were going back to the office," Syaoran mumbled as soon as the door closed. He instantly quietened when Mr. Tohno raised an eyebrow at him.

"It has certainly been an eventful morning for the both of you," Mr. Tohno began, slipping his hands into his pockets and moving his eyes between Sakura and Syaoran. "Now, what did I tell you two about lovers' quarrels?"

"We're not—" Sakura was cut off with another sharp look from the teacher.

"I have absolutely no clue as to why you two are at each other's throats more than usual today," continued Mr. Tohno, "but fighting with one another will not look good on your records…"

Sakura and Syaoran avoided each other's gaze and looked at their shoes instead.

"… especially if either of you want to claim the title of valedictorian." Mr. Tohno shook his head. "All year, I have witnessed the throes of your endless arguments and overdramatic rivalry. _All year_, I have had to put up with your class disruptions and petty comments toward each other."

Sakura and Syaoran remained silent.

"But," Mr. Tohno began to pace, "there is no doubt in my mind that you, Sakura Kinomoto, and you, Syaoran Li, are the most intelligent students at this school."

They lifted their heads and blinked in surprise.

"Sir…" Syaoran trailed off as Mr. Tohno stopped pacing and lifted a hand.

"You two may retake a different version of the final exam tomorrow." Mr. Tohno smirked slightly as Syaoran and Sakura simultaneously breathed a sigh of relief. "I will not send you back to the office, as that would only further jeopardize your chances at earning the top rank. However… I am assigning classroom cleanup duty for the both of you, everyday after school until the end of the semester. Starting tomorrow."

Syaoran and Sakura froze, suddenly dreading the thought of spending hours alone together in an empty classroom. Didn't Mr. Tohno think they would kill each other at this point?

"Is that fair?" Mr. Tohno inquired.

"… Yes," Sakura and Syaoran replied quietly, their eyes on the floor again.

* * *

"You're in love with Sakura, aren't you?"

Syaoran peered over the edge of his couch and shot his cousin a hostile expression. When Meiling merely smiled sweetly at him from the kitchen counter, he collapsed onto the cushions once more and continued to stare at the ceiling.

"No," he finally answered, blowing the stray strands of hair away from his eyes.

"Here," Meiling finished pouring herself a glass of wine and took a sip, "let me give you one more chance to be honest with me."

Syaoran rolled his eyes.

"You're in love with Sakura, aren't you?"

"Why do I feel like the whole world except for her knows?"

"Because the whole world except for her knows." Meiling paused and sauntered her way toward her cousin. She sat at the edge of the couch where he lay and passed him her glass. "What are you going to do about it?"

"Nothing." Syaoran sat up and finished off the rest of the wine in two quick gulps.

Meiling pouted at him. "That doesn't sound like my typically dashing, go-getter cousin."

"I have to get over her. I make her cry all the time."

"Syaoran…" Meiling sighed. "When a guy makes a girl cry all the time, it usually means she hates him… or likes him too much for her own good." She laughed softly. "Or both."

"Well—"

"And I think we all know that she doesn't really hate you."

"We shouldn't be analyzing this," Syaoran grumbled, returning the empty wine glass to Meiling and rising to his feet. He groaned and stretched his arms overhead. "She has Ryo."

"Does she really?"

Syaoran dropped his hands to his sides and delivered her a puzzled look.

"Wow." It was Meiling's turn to roll her eyes. "And you say _she's_ the clueless one." She stood up and began walking back into the kitchen. "Maybe you need to learn a lesson, after all."

Syaoran shook his head, feeling a slight dizziness set in. He hadn't been in the mood to eat anything at all since his fight with Sakura, and with wine being the only thing in his system, he was starting to feel a bit fuzzy. He glanced at Meiling, who was helping herself to a jar of sugar cookies.

"Don't eat all of them— or you'll get fat and won't fit into your prom dress." He smirked as Meiling cursed at him until he disappeared up the stairs.

In the comfort of his room, Syaoran let himself delve into his thoughts. He dropped himself onto his bed and buried his head into his pillow, breathing slowly and deeply. Who knew that things with Sakura could have gone to shit so quickly? He should have expected it. He should have known.

Things had been so good, so nice for a while.

_And that time at the hospital…_

Syaoran refused to let himself develop that thought. He left it unfinished.

"Syaoran!" Much to Syaoran's displeasure, Meiling's voice was able to travel up the stairs and into his room, even though the door was closed. "Someone's here to see you! She's coming up."

With a bit of guilt, Syaoran's heart gave a huge leap as he sat up and earnestly watched his doorknob turn. Was Sakura seriously paying him a visit?

The door swung open and Minako stepped in.

His heart dropped and he suddenly felt utterly stupid.

"Minako…" Syaoran mumbled, watching the petite girl close the door behind her and sheepishly step further inside. There was an anxious look on her face.

"Why didn't you—" Minako stopped herself, her face flushing in embarrassment. "I'm sorry for the intrusion, but why didn't you tell me you were in the hospital last month?"

"I didn't think I was supposed to…" Syaoran trailed off when he noticed a slight sadness in her eyes. "I mean, I didn't want to worry you." He continued to examine her expression. "But I guess you're worried anyway."

"I'm worried to death!" she suddenly blurted out, her eyes glistening with tears. "I was so scared when I heard about it!"

"I'm okay now."

"Are you sure?"

"Minako," Syaoran sighed heavily, "I'm fine."

"You seem frustrated," Minako replied quietly, composing herself and sitting beside him on the bed. She reached out and rested a hand atop one of his. He remained rigid. "Syaoran, why are you so tense right now?"

"I'm just… a little stressed out." Syaoran stared at Minako's hand, wondering how he could possibly pull away without harming her fragile feelings. "Maybe way more than a little stressed out."

"It must be because your senior year is coming to an end. Final exams, college applications, applying for scholarships and summer internships, graduation…"

Syaoran forced a smile. "It doesn't help when you list all of them like that."

"I apologize. Perhaps all of it has been taking a toll on your happiness lately."

"I guess. Maybe." Syaoran sighed again and fell back onto his bed, letting his legs dangle off the edge. Minako followed suit, her head ending up so close to Syaoran's that her cherry curls mingled with his cinnamon locks.

"It's more than that, isn't it?" Minako murmured.

"Yeah."

"Wouldn't it be nice if we could just forget everything that ever hurt us?"

"Yeah." Syaoran closed his eyes. A moment later, he felt Minako shift her weight on the mattress. When he reopened his eyes and turned his head toward her, she was on her side and facing him, admiring him with her creamy brown gaze.

"You've changed so much," Minako whispered, lifting a hand and pushing his messy bangs away from his wolfish eyes. "But at the same time, you seem exactly as I remember you."

Syaoran's expression remained soft, but slightly blank. "I'm not that innocent little boy you used to share your lunch with, Minako. Not anymore."

"I know. You're a young man now." Minako withdrew her hand. "Remember when we used to pretend that we were the only people who existed in the entire universe?"

"Yeah."

Her voice was barely perceptible. "Can we pretend again?"

Rain tapped against the window.

Minako's milky cheeks began to flush over with a light shade of pink. She inched toward him. Any space that had been between them was now nonexistent. Syaoran felt his breathing grow heavy, and all of his plans to pull away eventually evaporated. He knew this was wrong. He knew he was making a mistake. He knew he was supposed to stop, but he didn't.

His heart was weak.

_He_ was weak.

The rain outside intensified, falling in heavy sheets and hitting the window like liquid diamond bullets. The sky gave out a deep rumble, roaring load enough to nearly drown out a soft, shallow moan coming from Syaoran's bed.

* * *

Sakura and Tomoyo weaved through aisles of dresses.

"Maybe I shouldn't have lost my temper like that…" Sakura said beneath her breath, running her fingers along the gleaming fabrics. Tomoyo followed close behind her, quietly listening. "I never explained to him why becoming valedictorian is so important to me."

"You never told him about your promise to your mother?"

"No, I didn't. Looking back, I kind of wish I had…" Sakura knitted her brows. "He was really clueless and frustrated when I broke down like that, now that I think about it. He would have understood if I told him about the promise."

"He would have," Tomoyo agreed, pulling out a dress and displaying it for Sakura to see.

Sakura shook her head and Tomoyo set it to the side. "I can't believe I told him I hated him," she grumbled. "The only thing that would make me hate him right now would be if he started up his business again, after all we've been through."

Tomoyo grinned to herself.

"What's with the smile?" Sakura lifted an eyebrow.

"Because I'm thinking about this friendship between you and Syaoran. It's so… interesting."

"Interesting?"

"A good kind of interesting," Tomoyo clarified. "You two may yell at each other half the time, but _most_ of the time you bring out the best in each other— in some sort of strange way. You've taught him how to be less manipulative, and he's taught you how to be more sure of yourself."

Sakura didn't say anything. She kept her gaze on the dresses.

"So since all _that_ has been established…" Tomoyo's voice became evidently quieter. "Is Ryo going to break up with you now?"

"Tomoyo." Sakura frowned. "We should be focusing on these potential prom dresses."

"Alright, alright—" A small chiming noise blossomed from her purse, and Tomoyo pulled out her phone to read the new text message. Three seconds later, her eyes grew as wide as saucers.

"Tomoyo?" Sakura's tone was a cross between curiosity and concern. She tried to peer over Tomoyo's shoulder. "What is it? Who's it from?"

"Ah, um, nothing," Tomoyo replied breezily, clenching her phone within her hands and walking toward another rack of dresses.

"Huh?" Sakura was on Tomoyo's heels. "How could it be nothing? You look like someone just sent you nude pictures!"

"It's _nothing_, Sakura," Tomoyo repeated, more firmly this time. She turned around and gave Sakura an expression of reassurance.

"Well, alright. If you say so…" Sakura began to turn away and Tomoyo exhaled with relief.

But at the very second Tomoyo let her guard down, her phone was suddenly swiped away from her hands. Sakura blinked, slightly astonished and impressed at herself because her reflexes weren't that great to begin with. It took her two seconds to read the message, but she could have stared at it in disbelief for a century.

text message from meiling li  
_omg. -_- i'm so bored._  
_syaoran & minako are totally going at it right now._

Sakura slowly and quietly returned the cell phone to Tomoyo, who sighed.

"Sakura—"

"We haven't checked that section over there yet." She started to walk away. Tomoyo quickly matched her pace.

"You know how Meiling is, maybe she's exaggerating—"

"C'mon," Sakura hooked arms with Tomoyo, a little too sharply. "We need to find the perfect prom dresses, so let's—"

"Sakura, stop!" Tomoyo unlinked their arms and took ahold of her best friend's hands, giving her a meaningful look.

"He's just so…" Sakura tugged away. She let out a frustrated huff before suddenly catching her breath, as if somebody had wrapped a wire around her lungs. "He's just _so_—"

Tomoyo shook her head and reclaimed Sakura's hands, gently pulling her into a hug. "I know, I know."

"Of _course_ you know, Tomoyo!" Sakura cried out, jerking away again and flinging her arms into the air. "You know _everything_!"

"No, I don't know everything, Sakura." Tomoyo frowned. "I don't know how to fix this. All I know is that you're furious and sad and in need of a hug."

Sakura covered her face with her hands and let out a shaky exhale. She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around the other girl. "I'm so sorry, Tomoyo. I'm having a bad week."

"It's okay." Tomoyo squeezed her companion with every ounce of comfort she could possibly muster. "I'm having a bad week, too."

"You are? Why?"

"Because my best friend is having a bad week."

Sakura sank her chin into Tomoyo's silken hair and sighed. "Any words of wisdom?"

"Not this time, Sakura. I don't know what to say to you right now, and I don't know what to do." She buried her face into Sakura's hair as well. "This is the best I can do for now."

Sakura nodded, closing her eyes and letting Tomoyo's sweet-scented perfume tickle her nose. This girl was her age, but she was the closest thing Sakura had to a maternal figure. And for once, Tomoyo couldn't come up with anything profound or omniscient to say.

Normally, this would have scared Sakura. Tomoyo _always_ knew what to say, and being at a loss for words never happened to her in their years of friendship. But now, Sakura was okay with that. Tomoyo was only human. It was the same circumstance for her and every other being that walked this planet. They were all human— ridden with flaws, making mistakes for their own reasons.

_What's your reason this time, Syaoran?_

* * *

The following morning, Syaoran drove himself to school with a heavy heart. Every inch of his body tingled with an overbearing, nearly magnetic sensation, and he knew it was probably the weight of guilt pulling him down. The weight only intensified when he lugged himself out of his car and slowly made his way onto campus.

A voice stopped him.

"Syaoran Li," a fellow classmate began, and without turning around, Syaoran knew exactly who it was. He cocked an eyebrow and exhaled sharply through his nose, reminding himself to remain calm.

Syaoran finally decided to turn halfway so that he only slightly faced his peer. His own voice matched the tranquility and indifference of the one that had stopped him. "What, Ryo?"

"You must be losing your edge, man. You had a good thing going… and then you just stopped."

Syaoran narrowed his eyes. "Try to be a little more vague."

There was a chuckle from Ryo. "And so he speaks sarcasm…"

"Fluently."

"Hm. So it's true. You never liked me."

"I'm pretty sure we both know why." Syaoran was fully facing him now. They were the same height, the same build, and— at the moment— they were carrying themselves with the same sort of aloofness. "What you said earlier, about how I had a 'good thing going'… you were referring to my business, right? Well, I'm done, I really am."

"Done with your business, but not done fooling around with girls?" Ryo's mouth made a subtle movement, as if he wanted to smirk but refrained himself from doing so. Syaoran could tell that this was definitely not the sweet, goodnatured Ryo that Sakura was dating. He had completely switched gears. "So you're just being a player for free now, I assume?"

"You don't know what you're talking about." Syaoran wanted to kick himself for offering up such a lame comeback, but Ryo had caught him off-guard. He obviously knew more than Syaoran had anticipated, and that meant he was a little unprepared for this confrontation.

"I know exactly what I'm talking about. Listen…" Ryo paused, casually sliding his hands into his pockets and taking a mild step forward. "I'm not just talking about your childhood sweetheart." Syaoran's jaw tightened. How on earth did Ryo know about Minako? "You must think so highly of yourself, having all sorts of girls falling for you left and right. Kisa, Aiko, Yuumei, every girl on the cheerleading team… hell, ninety-five percent of the straight female population in this entire school has been head over heels for you at some point. I wouldn't even be surprised if your own damn _cousin_ has some sort of sick, suppressed attraction toward you."

Syaoran couldn't help it; his fists clenched. But it only took a moment for him to gather himself together and unclench them.

"If you want to judge and insult me," Syaoran began slowly, "by all means, go right ahead. Have fun. But don't bring Meiling into this."

There was a smug tone evident in Ryo's next words. "What if I brought Sakura into this?"

Syaoran's eyes narrowed once more. "What does she have to do with anything?"

"Syaoran, she has to do with _everything_." Ryo was smiling now. "You know that. I know that." And almost as soon as it had appeared, the smile vanished. "You see, I don't really feel like Sakura is completely _in_ this relationship, if you know what I mean. Her heart isn't in it— like she has feelings for someone else."

Not a single word left Syaoran's mouth. In fact, it had run dry as soon as Sakura had become the subject of their conversation.

Ryo was looking directly at Syaoran. His deep goldenrod gaze was piercing. "And I think I know who it might be."

Syaoran still refused to reply.

"You don't deserve someone like Sakura," Ryo continued. His voice was lower but his words were still biting.

"Looks like we found something we can both agree on," Syaoran finally answered, moving his gaze away. His heart gave a little lurch at the thought of the previous evening's events. He could have told Minako to leave. He could have controlled himself. He could have—

But he hadn't.

There was a still silence between them, save for the sounds of cars pulling into the parking lot. Nobody seemed to be paying much attention to their exchange; apparently it was too early in the morning to be seeking out drama.

"I want to break up with her."

_What?_

Syaoran had to struggle in order to keep himself from toppling over. His body was nearly frozen.

"And I want you to help me."

"_Tch_." Syaoran forced the apathetic noise out of his throat and hardened his gaze against Ryo's. "So were you just pretending to be crazy about Sakura?"

Ryo only smiled.

"Anyhow, whatever your underlying motive is— I told you, I'm done with my business."

Ryo let out another one of his soft, spiteful chuckles. "Now, I know you've turned over a 'new leaf' or whatever, but that doesn't change the fact that even though you're practically in love with Sakura… you gave in to another girl." Ryo let the harsh words sink their teeth into Syaoran's skin before continuing. "That's not what you want for her, is it?"

"Goddamnit, Ryo." Syaoran couldn't help but let a little of his frustration seep out. The guilt was gnawing away at him like flesh-eating bacteria. "I already know I'm scum, alright? I already know I shouldn't be with her, ever. She shouldn't be with a guy like me." He paused, his sharp stare unwavering. "But she shouldn't be with a guy like you, either."

Unfortunately for Syaoran, a trace of satisfaction appeared on Ryo's face, as if he had heard exactly what he wanted to hear.

"You want to protect her from guys like you and me?" Ryo shrugged. "Then accept my offer. She'll never look at us again."

Syaoran finally dropped his gaze. He stared down at the asphalt with a furrowed brow.

What was he supposed to say to that?

"Come on. You know I'm right. Just one more business deal before we graduate. The pay will be generous, I assure you. Consider it the grand finale or something."

Syaoran bit his lower lip. He should have been prepared for something like this to happen. But he wasn't. He wasn't prepared, not even a little. And now he had to face the consequences.

"… Fine." The short word left Syaoran's mouth in a small sigh of defeat.

Ryo's smile reappeared, and it was clear that he was back to being the lighthearted version of himself. "Good talk, man. See you around."

Syaoran shut his eyes as Ryo's hand landed on his shoulder. He felt two firm pats before hearing the sound of retreating footsteps.

_Consider it the grand finale or something._

* * *

Ryo's words echoed within Syaoran's head for the rest of the school day. It didn't help that he had to struggle with every fiber of his body to keep from beating Ryo to a bloody pulp when he noticed that he was treating Sakura as sweet as ever, as if his feelings hadn't changed at all.

Seven hours seemed to pass by a bit too fast for Syaoran, because before he knew it, he was alone in an empty, silent classroom with Sakura. He gripped a broom in his hand while Sakura cleaned up the chalkboard. While he made several efforts to catch Sakura's glance, she seemed rather adamant to avoid any eye contact.

Finally, as Syaoran began sweeping aside the last of the floor's dust, he decided to break the silence. It probably wasn't the greatest idea, but the tension between them was driving him over the edge.

"Are you still not talking to me?"

Much to Syaoran's surprise, Sakura actually responded. Her voice was quiet and empty, but her response was prompt. "I heard about what you did with Minako."

_Shit._

"Oh. Word spreads fast." When Sakura failed to react to his nonchalant tone, Syaoran felt himself grow a little hostile. He knew his next words were going to be a mistake, but he said them anyway. "What, are you jealous?"

"I'm not jealous. I have a boyfriend, remember?" She kept a steady stare on the chalkboard in front of her, maneuvering the eraser in smooth, sweeping motions. "You're just… stupid."

Syaoran refrained from letting his eyes roll. The word "stupid" had left her mouth as if she couldn't think of anything better to say… as if she didn't mean it at all.

He wished she meant it.

"So I'm stupid for being sexual with someone that I actually _like_ for once?"

He didn't mean that, either.

The chalkboard eraser in Sakura's hands suddenly slowed to a stop. Her eyes focused on the drifting remnants of chalk hovering before her face.

"You had sex?" she asked quietly.

"Well—" Syaoran's grip on the broom tightened and loosened repeatedly. "Technically— yeah, no— I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?"

"It depends," Syaoran sighed. "I… I was on the receiving end and I didn't really do anything to her. That's as far as it went, okay?"

"So you let her… do _that_ to you." Sakura's hand was still poised against the board, squeezing the eraser within her fingers until her knuckles paled.

Syaoran noticed this subtle action, which confused him even further. Why did Sakura even care? Was it because it was obvious that it was going to take more than a silly promise for him get rid of his scandalous habits? Or was it because…

_You see, I don't really feel like Sakura is completely in this relationship, if you know what I mean._

It couldn't possibly be because…

_Her heart isn't in it— like she has feelings for someone else._

Why did everything have to be so fucking complicated?

"I don't know!" Syaoran finally spat out, his aggravation seizing the last of his patience. "I wasn't really thinking, Sakura! I was frustrated!"

"Ah." Sakura met Syaoran's sudden outburst with an almost eerie kind of indifference. "So _that's_ how you deal with your frustration."

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Syaoran's temper was obviously getting the best of him again. "Get off my case. I don't meddle with _your_ relationships. You can do whatever you want, and so can I. You're…" He trailed off for a moment as he attempted to cool down his heated speech. "You're happy with Ryo, aren't you?"

"Oh, so you're defending him now? Syaoran, you never liked Ryo!" Sakura finally set down the chalkboard eraser— or rather, slammed it down— and a white cloud billowed beside her. She watched it disperse, letting herself regain composure before continuing in a softer voice. "Please… if there's any reason you don't think I should be with him… tell me now."

Syaoran felt his body tense up. He sank his teeth into his tongue as Sakura's eyes moved to meet his own.

"If you think there's someone out there who's better for me…" She was staring right at him, and Syaoran wasn't sure if he was imagining the flicker of an unspoken plea in her eyes. "Tell me."

Unlike the many times they had locked gazes, Syaoran was the one to look away first. Even if his feelings were requited in a twisted way, did he really deserve to be happy with her?

"No." Syaoran grimaced slightly, turning around and setting the broom aside. "Ryo's a nice guy. You should be with him."

There was an uncomfortable and wordless moment between them.

"Fine," Sakura replied quietly, reclaiming the chalkboard eraser.

Before another unnerving silence could settle between them, Syaoran switched the topic.

"Last month…" He watched her wipe a whitened, chalky hand against the side of her jeans. "Tell me what happened in the hospital. When you hugged me."

"I don't know," Sakura responded with a hint of irritability. "You must have been drugged up enough to start hallucinating things that would never happen."

Syaoran leaned against the wall, right next to where he had propped up the broom. He crossed his arms over his chest and frowned slightly, delivering her a side glance.

"So when we almost kissed—" As soon as he began uttering those words, Syaoran noticed Sakura's jaw tense as her lips pursed. "—it was just my mind playing tricks on me?"

Another cloud of chalk began to rise up, this time lifting into Sakura's face. She began to cough.

"Stupid chalkboard erasers," Sakura rasped, dropping them and wiping her eyes with her sleeves and the back of her hands. She continued to cough between her next words. "You think we would have upgraded to— to whiteboards, but no— the school's being stupid—"

Syaoran stepped away from the wall and watched as Sakura began to sniffle. His arms fell to his sides. It didn't take him long to understand that she would cry soon.

"Everything is just… stupid…" Sakura's voice cracked. "So stupid…"

Syaoran exhaled heavily and began to approach her. Even though he was putting himself at risk of getting his eyes clawed out, he didn't hesitate. "Do you think you could handle a hug from me right now?"

"No," she muttered pathetically, coughing again. Several tears slid down her chalk-speckled face, leaving light, glimmering lines. "Stay away. Stay right where you are."

Obviously, Syaoran wasn't going to obey. A moment later, he was gingerly gathering her into his arms.

"You never listen," Sakura grumbled. She refused to return the hug but she decided against pulling away. After briefly remaining frozen, she let her body relax. Her arms hung limply at her sides. Almost as if she were giving in, Sakura closed her eyes and pressed her forehead against Syaoran's chest. "You know I'm sorry, right?"

"Yeah," Syaoran whispered, nearly catching his breath as he felt the subtle warmth of her face through his shirt. There was a pause. "I'm sorry, too."

Rain was trickling against the window again. Syaoran shut his eyes and couldn't help but envision the terrible, idiotic mistake he had made the previous day— Minako's tiny, smooth hands running down his cheek, his neck, trailing down his chest and stomach and hip bone and—

When he reopened his eyes, Sakura was still in his arms, chalk particles sprinkled over her hair like defective fairy dust. He didn't know whether he loved or hated that he was becoming so accustomed to feeling her dainty frame embraced against his own— the way her head would always be pressed directly over his heart, right where she could hear it beating, faster and faster still.

What he _knew_ he hated was the familiar sensation of her warm tears soaking through his shirt— how he could essentially feel the weight of everything that haunted her without being able to do anything about it. He wasn't sure if she was crying because of her mother again, or because of what he did with Minako, or because of a shitty week in general, but there was one thing he knew for sure.

In time, all hell would break loose, and he would never be able to hold her like this again.

_I'm so sorry, Sakura._

* * *

**A/N:** What's that stench? Smells like a big, fat, stinky drama llama. I guess all the negative emotions in this chapter make up for all the fluff that happened last chapter! Sorry, everyone.

Well, there's not much for me to say except… there are three chapters left! I want to finish this story as soon as I can because I'm really excited to release a new fic I've been working on. Anyway, I adore you guys and all of your kind words. Please don't loathe me for the bad stuff that happened in this chapter, I promise it gets better. In the meantime, send some love my way? :3


	15. the king of tomoeda high

**Gallery of Broken Hearts  
**(15: the king of tomoeda high)

The air of the room smelled too heavily of sterility and medicine for her liking, and it was the kind of stench that stuck to your clothes even after you've walked out. She knew, however, that while the odor of hospital rooms would wear away in time, the memory of that day would cling to her forever.

The clock ticked steadier and mightier than the heartbeat of the woman who occupied the hospital bed.

"Sakura doesn't really understand all of this stuff, does she?" came a little voice, one that was light and airy— melodic, even. In spite of imminent death, the room was completely serene. A small hand gently grasped a larger, paler hand; a hand with skin so translucent that the veins were visible, like miniature rivers of purple and blue snaking across plains of snow.

"No, dear." The woman's reply was barely audible, whispery and weak. Every word required great effort and strain. "But I know you do. I know you understand many of the things Sakura still has difficulties with— and I also know that you will always be there for her, helping her with those things."

"Mhm. Always."

"My daughter will grow up to be a strong woman, but her heart can be so fragile…" Her voice was beginning to fade; she was sounding farther and farther away without having to retreat a single millimeter. "Please continue to be there for her when I no longer can. Please humor her when she comes up with crazy ideas, and please support her when she feels like breaking down…"

The young girl nodded, her dark locks bobbing. Her shimmering eyes reflected the deepest kind of sympathy and sincerity. She almost seemed otherworldly with the tranquil spirit and understanding she harbored. It was a trait of hers that many would attempt to fathom, but ultimately fail. In the end, people would simply choose to accept her mannerisms the way they were.

"… Please hug her when she cries, and if she tries to push you away, don't let go. When a boy breaks her heart, please brighten up her day. Please promise me… that you will help take care of her long after I am gone."

Without a beat of hesitation, the young girl whispered, "I promise."

"I promise," Tomoyo murmured, opening her eyes. Her lips curved into a soft smile as she squeezed the bouquet of flowers in her hands before bending down and setting it before the tombstone.

"Sorry, what was that?" came Sakura's puzzled voice, which floated from behind Tomoyo in the pleasant breeze. The weather had fortunately cleared up for this special day, and it was finally evident that summer was seeping into Tomoeda's atmosphere.

There wasn't a single cloud in the sky, and with the sun setting, it stretched above their heads like an oil painting of smeared pinks and oranges.

"Ah, nothing," Tomoyo replied, straightening her posture and turning around. Her smile broadened as she admired Sakura's overall appearance for the umpteenth time that day. To strangers, it might have been odd for these girls to be standing in a cemetery in their type of formal attire, but they had their reasons.

"Do you think my mom would've liked my prom dress?" Sakura reached up, tucked away a curl, and fiddled with one of her diamond earrings. She heaved in a breath of anticipation and offered Tomoyo a bittersweet smile.

"Nadeshiko would have wept from happiness, like how I'm trying not to right now," Tomoyo answered honestly, surveying Sakura's pink gown, which flowed and cascaded from her lithe body in silken waves. Silver and pink ribbons wove through Sakura's curled hair, making her appear as though she were a princess from a world of elegance.

Sakura's eyes brightened as she gazed at Tomoyo's sophisticated violet and black ensemble, draped about her physique in an almost artistic manner. "I bet she would've loved both of our dresses."

"I'm sure she's smiling down on you right now," said Tomoyo, pulling her best friend into a hug. "She's marveling at how beautifully her daughter has grown, and she's so, so proud."

There was a brief moment in which Sakura delayed to respond, mostly due to the emotions currently coursing through her heart. The most notable was a sense of remorse, and even though Sakura closed her eyes and held Tomoyo tighter in an attempt to forget about it, the feeling didn't go away.

"If she knew what I was doing to Syaoran…" Sakura mumbled, her eyebrows knitting together as she continued to shut her eyes. "She wouldn't be proud."

"Sakura…" Tomoyo began, but her companion merely stepped back and shook her head.

"I'm sorry. I don't want this evening to be ruined, but… I basically set myself up for it. I just…" Sakura's sentence remained unfinished as she turned around and let the cool wind tousle her auburn ringlets. She made sure her heels didn't sink into the ground as she began to walk down the cemetery's hill, where Ryo met her halfway.

It wasn't out of the norm for Ryo Ito to appear handsome, but he looked particularly suave this evening. His deep pink bow tie on his black tuxedo matched Sakura's dress, his eyes were vivid with kindness, and he played a pleasant smile at his lips. In one, smooth movement, he extended a hand. Sakura slipped her hand into his, but it was clear that her smile had weakened. Ryo immediately noticed this, and said nothing. He simply waited for her explanation.

"Ryo…" Sakura took a moment to look off into the distance before continuing. Normally, the view of tombstones dotted across a hilled land would be a rather depressing sight, but it was one Sakura was accustomed to. Finally, she found the words she wanted to utter. "I can't do this anymore."

Ryo tweaked his head to the side, ever so slightly, and kept his smile. "That sounds like a breakup line."

Sakura faced Ryo once more. "Well, it kind of is…"

"Sakura." Ryo stepped up the hill so that he was leveled with the girl's troubled visage. She tried to look away again, but he reached up with his free hand and lightly tilted her chin toward him, redirecting her gaze. "You can't break up with somebody you're not really with."

There was no point in Sakura's attempt to hide the sadness in her eyes. For several seconds, Ryo held her gaze and tried to evaluate her mind, but to no avail. He didn't see what his heart wanted to see, but he knew exactly how she was feeling. That was enough for him.

He held both of her hands now.

"Say no more," Ryo assured her, forcing an amiable grin in spite of the pang in his chest. "It was fun teasing Syaoran while it lasted, right? We really stretched out our acting muscles."

Sakura shook her head.

"It was a game we played for too long." She was staring off into the horizon again. The sunset leaked its orange rays over the cemetery, casting long shadows against the hills. "I'm such a hypocrite. I told him that he was stupid for treating life like a game, but in reality… I was doing the same thing." She sighed, moving her eyes downward. "Sure, it was fun for a while— acting like you and I were a couple— getting on his nerves and all that, but…"

When she trailed off, Ryo continued for her. "You only wanted to put him in his place."

"I never expected it to get this far."

"You mean…" Ryo paused to deliver Sakura a meaningful expression. "You never expected to fall for him."

"Everything is just so messy now," Sakura whispered, closing her eyes to hide the gleaming, telltale signs of disappointment.

"We're humans. That's what happens when we fall for the wrong person." In spite of the sadness of the subject, Ryo kept his soft smile, and for some reason it only made the situation more disheartening than it already was. "We do stupid things."

"You think I fell for the wrong person?" Sakura reopened her eyes, and to her surprise, there were no developing tears— only traces of the beginnings of heartache. "So there's no hope?"

"I think… if you can make it work with the wrong person, if you can do a wonderful job cleaning up a shitty mess— which is probably one of the most difficult feats ever— they somehow become the right person."

"I'm afraid I don't really understand."

"I guess that's the beauty of it. Listen…" Ryo gave Sakura's hands a comforting squeeze. "It's too late for me to make you mine. I've already accepted that a long time ago. But it's not too late for him to be yours."

"Ryo, he's willing to turn me into a business deal."

"You know, maybe I'm just an excellent persuader." When his slightly playful words failed to make her feel better, he tried again. "Prom lasts all night, Sakura. He hasn't failed yet. Trust me— he won't have the heart to do it."

Before Sakura could think of a reply, a dainty hand rested on her shoulder.

"Ready?" Tomoyo grinned, trying to usher a happy face from her friend as her eyes sparkled.

Down below, at the base of the hill where the road began, a classic black limousine awaited them. Tomoyo's chauffeur patiently stood beside it.

"Alright." Sakura held her breath and nodded. She reached for one of Tomoyo's hands and exchanged glances with Ryo. "I guess it's time for the grand finale."

* * *

Syaoran adjusted his dark red necktie as he swiftly traveled up the steps leading toward The Gallery, the museum of glass art in which Tomoeda High's prom was to be held. As he passed his peers, he offered them his trademark brilliant smile. But in all honesty, he felt like crap, considering he hadn't had a night of decent sleep ever since he established that deal with Ryo. He wasn't sure if he wanted to see any more traces of heartache within Sakura's eyes. He was so accustomed to seeing that sort of pain reflected in a girl's gaze, but it wasn't what he wanted for Sakura. Now, it wasn't what he wanted for anyone.

Frustration began to churn within the pit of his stomach. He should have known. He should have figured out Ryo's intentions; after all, _he_ was supposed to be the master of manipulation, the king of trickeries. But somebody had one-upped him. Somebody had dethroned him.

Syaoran felt defeated. More than defeated, he felt lonely.

It was as he was having these depressing thoughts that he almost ran directly into Sakura on his way to the entrance of the museum. He stopped just in time, flabbergasted, and took a step backward. He swallowed dryly and ran a hand through his mop of hair, some of it sliding over his left eye when he let go. He didn't notice, or care.

All he could notice was her.

Syaoran was pretty certain that there was no way any girl on the face of the planet could trump Sakura's beauty tonight— or ever, for that matter. Her hair spilled down her shoulders in swirling auburn streams, ribbons placed amongst the strands. Her dress hugged her body, emphasizing her slender features. Syaoran couldn't help the way his eyes ran down her body and back up to her face, which looked warm yet decorated with controlled sorrow.

His gaze inadvertently went to Sakura's lips, which were tinged with rouge, appearing softer than ever. When he realized what he was doing, he quickly pulled it back up to her eyes, trying not to be thrown off by the emerald emotion that was spiraling from them and into him.

Fortunately, Ryo was standing in line for the prom tickets, so Syaoran stole the opportunity to get in a few words.

"Why do you look so sad?" he asked Sakura, slowly stepping toward her. "Don't waste your pretty getup."

Sakura took a moment to search Syaoran's eyes, and for a moment it seemed as if she were reading a book. Finally, she softly asked, "Why do _you_ look so sad?"

Syaoran hid a grimace; apparently they were going to converse in questions. He felt his lips tighten into an artificial smile. "Wouldn't it be funny if we were sad for the same reason?"

"No." Out of the corner of her eye, Sakura noticed Ryo approaching, tickets in hand. She mumbled her next words before walking off to reunite with her date. "Because we wouldn't be any less sad."

It didn't take long for Syaoran to notice Tomoyo tagging along behind the couple. When they exchanged glances, Tomoyo stopped walking and stood before him; she knew he had something to say.

"Going stag, too, Tomoyo? I thought a hoard of guys asked you to prom."

"True," the girl replied, the usual mystical tone carrying her words across the space between them. She crossed her arms over her chest, compressing her posture. "But I wasn't interested in any of them, to be honest. Just like how _you_ weren't interested in the hoard of girls that asked you to prom."

Syaoran interpreted her standoffish response. "You're mad at me."

For a split second, Tomoyo almost rolled her eyes, as if he should have expected it. "You promised me that your next kiss would actually mean something."

"Well, Minako and I didn't _kiss_…" Syaoran faltered when Tomoyo skeptically arched an eyebrow at him. "Not really, at least…"

"I'm tired of giving you the benefit of the doubt, Syaoran," Tomoyo blatantly admitted, stepping toward him and flashing him a look of contempt. It curdled Syaoran's insides, feeding his self-hatred. "I don't know what to say to you right now, so I'm going to be totally frank." She let out a heavy breath. "You disgust me."

Syaoran's only external reaction was a small nod as he dug his teeth into his tongue. This was acceptable. Tomoyo's icy disposition and spite were justified. He should have taken her unconditional kindness and advice to heart, but instead, he had acted stupidly— again.

"I'm just really disappointed," she added, pushing away a shining stray hair and knitting her brow. When she returned her gaze to his, it was no longer angry, but rather filled with dissatisfaction. "Because for a while there, I actually believed you could do better than me when it came to taking care of Sakura. And now… I don't know what to believe. This is what happens when you go around breaking hearts, Syaoran Li. You end up breaking your own."

Tomoyo didn't wait for Syaoran to respond, not that he would have known what to say. He watched Tomoyo's retreating figure as he sank his fingernails into the palm of his hand, creating crescent-shaped indentations along his skin. There was no doubt about it; he let Tomoyo down. Not just Tomoyo, but himself as well. He let himself down.

He let everybody down.

* * *

The decor of The Gallery's grand ballroom was nothing short of breathtaking. As soon as the students walked in, they were submerged in bright, flashing lights and music that vibrated in the air. The ceiling was made entirely of glass, displaying a view of a completely star-speckled night sky. Silver and gold balloons hovered around freely, glittering as flecks of light bounced from its shiny material.

Half of the ballroom was set up with dining tables laden with sparkling cloths and towering floral centerpieces. The rest of the space was entirely dedicated to a wide dance floor, where people were already clinging to one another and reverberating their bodies to the heavy beat of lively, entrancing music. By the ecstatic looks on everyone's faces, they were ready to let loose. They were ready to forget everything and dance to anything. They were ready to drown in every note of every song played that night— and not come up for air.

For an hour, cliques dissolved and everybody was united in a session of tight embraces and laughter and mindless, absolutely mindless dancing. For an hour, they weren't individuals with separate minds. They were a pulsing, interlocked mass, comprised entirely of adolescent thrills and racing hearts, swaying aimlessly and raising hell. They danced and danced, the sky above them continuing to darken, the flickering lights around them continuing to radiate every neon color possible.

But when that hour was over, there was an announcement.

"Alright, everyone!" exclaimed Yuumei, snatching up the microphone and pumping a hand into the air. As student council president and the most headstrong, energetic girl on campus, it was only natural for her to serve as the prom's coordinator. "It's the moment you've all been waiting for! You've all cast your votes and turned in your ballots— and we've tallied up the scores! So, here it is! The crowning of Tomoeda's prom king and queen!"

Loud cheers rippled across the crowd of teenagers, and the collective animation of shrieks and roars and applause rattled with the music's rhythm.

"Drumroll, please," Yuumei requested charmingly, winking at the DJ as she flicked her champagne-colored hair over her shoulder. The DJ lowered the music's volume and played a recording of a traditional drumroll. "And here we go! Tomoeda, are you ready for this?"

As Yuumei waved a shimmering, sealed envelope in the air, there was a burst of excited squeals and yelps of anticipation. "Yeah, yeah, yeah!"

"Your prom king is…" With a flick of a French-manicured nail, the seal of the envelope was torn open. For a half-beat, Yuumei's face nearly grimaced, but she regained her spirited persona and cried out, "Syaoran Li!"

The win was expected, but that didn't lessen the amount of cheers that erupted within the grand ballroom as Syaoran made his way to the stage, forcing himself to play off one of his confident grins. There was a slight, uncomfortable tension between Yuumei and Syaoran, but being masters of staying in character, it wasn't obvious at all. The strawberry blonde reached up and placed a golden crown encrusted with red gems upon Syaoran's unkempt hair.

A moment later, Yuumei was handed a new envelope. She fluttered this one in the air as well. "And now for your prom queen!" The drumroll started up again. "Her Majesty is…"

Nearly three hundred girls held their breath and bugged out their eyes in hopeful anxiety.

"… Aiko Takahashi!"

Applause flared across the ballroom once more, and the gleeful cries of the cheerleading team could be heard over the large crowd. Once again, the win was no surprise. It had always been apparent that the darling, warmhearted cheerleader was in the front running for prom queen.

But even a minute after the announcement, Aiko didn't show up on stage. Yuumei let out a playful laugh, trying to eliminate any openings for awkward silences. "C'mon, baby girl! Where are you? You better take this crown before I do!"

A spotlight hanging from above dashed over the babbling crowd, searching for a small girl with rushing brown hair and eyes like big, cerulean orbs. When she was finally found— a tiny target beneath a blinding ray of white light— it was revealed that she was choking back tears, trying push her way through her peers to make a run for the exit.

Syaoran knew why.

What kind of girl would want to be the queen of somebody who set her up for heartbreak?

Without a single logical thought in his scatterbrained head, he stole the microphone from Yuumei, who scowled at him.

"Aiko, wait!" His sudden amplified exclamation was loud enough to silence the entire ballroom. Even the DJ ceased to play any music. Feedback echoed across the dance floor. Static croaked from the speakers. Aiko whirled around and held a hand over her forehead to shield her vision from the bright light above her. Tears twinkled in her eyes. When she noticed that Syaoran was calling after her, she began to back away.

"Please, wait— please, don't go," Syaoran begged, extending a hand and shaking it back and forth in a '_Don't move!_' gesture. Majority of his peers lifted their eyebrows in bafflement, exchanging aghast glances. They had never seen Syaoran Li act so desperate. "You don't even need to talk, just stand right there and listen!"

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Yuumei hissed at Syaoran from behind, forgetting to mask her bitter emotions toward him. Syaoran shook his head at her, mouthing, '_Hold on, okay?_' Unable to regain possession of the microphone, Yuumei growled beneath her breath and stepped away.

Syaoran expelled a sigh loaded with relief as he noticed that Aiko had listened to his plea. She was narrowing her eyes at him, trembling in the middle of a staring, hushed crowd, but she still chose to stop. That was all he needed for now. Syaoran cast his gaze over the collection of stunned faces, swallowing hard and struggling to prepare himself for something he hadn't ever expected to do in his entire life.

"I'm tired," Syaoran began, his voice dripping into the microphone and spilling out into the furthest corners of the ballroom. "I'm tired of being the guy girls run away from because I've hurt them. That's not how I want to be remembered in people's minds when we leave high school. That's not the kind of impression I want to burn into people's memories."

Behind him, Yuumei's eyes widened and jaw dropped in complete stupefaction. Several girls followed suit, while others stood in confusion and listened with their brows furrowed.

"You know what sucks?" Syaoran continued, searching the crowd for a particular girl. He couldn't find her. "What sucks is that when I look out into this sea of people I've attended high school with for the past four years, I can only remember all the hurt I've caused. I've lost count of how many relationships I've ruined, how many girls I've made cry. I'm tired of carrying around a guilt I pretend to not have."

His eyes were on Aiko again. "So, please, Aiko… come up here and get coronated." He smiled gently, but it didn't reach his eyes, which were solemn. "You deserve the title of queen, but I can't accept this crown." He reached up and grabbed the crown perched upon his head. "I'm sorry, Aiko, for setting you up for heartbreak."

His eyes were searching the sea again. "I'm sorry, Tomoyo, for breaking my promise. And Sakura, wherever you are— I'm so, so sorry for all the times I've wronged you ever since elementary school. All the arguments, the insults, the yelling— everything. I'm sorry."

Syaoran turned around and handed the crown to Yuumei, who was still staring at him with large eyes filled with disbelief. He lowered his voice to a whisper. "And you, too, Yuumei. You know what I'm sorry for."

Before returning the microphone, he squeezed it in his hands as he numbly stated, "Tomoeda High, I don't deserve to be your king."

Without another word, he walked off the stage and briskly weaved his way through the quiet, whispering mass of peers. He avoided all gazes, but every now and then glanced around to see if Sakura was nearby. There were still no signs of her.

He pushed aside several glinting balloons and exited into a long corridor filled with romance-inspired art, made solely of glass. He avoided every one of his reflections and steadied himself against a wall, despising the shame that so discernibly colored his face.

Syaoran slowly lidded his eyes, waiting for his breathing to regain a normal pace. In the distance, he heard the music start up again. No doubt it was blaring within the ballroom, but from where he stood, it was a far-off, muffled noise. He might as well have been standing in another world entirely, separated from the rest of the senior class. A part of him wished he resided on another planet.

"We're sad for the same reason, aren't we?"

As soon as he heard her gentle voice, Syaoran felt his body fight the urge to break into a sprint. He could have jolted down these halls, whipping past every piece of lustrous art depicting love or some other tender emotion— leaving it all, forgetting it all. But he didn't budge. His heart acted as an anchor, keeping him stock still as waves of adrenaline rushed over him. He only shut his eyes and pressed his shoulder hard against the wall, biting his tongue before forcing out several quiet words.

"That depends," he uttered lowly, feeling an all-too-familiar pain blossom within his ribcage. He hated it. But the more he hated it, the stronger it grew. The ache fed off of his miserable resistance like a parasite. It was consuming him. He couldn't fight it anymore. "What's your reason?"

Syaoran's decision to keep himself facing away from Sakura meant nothing. After a moment of silence, the clicking of heels echoed across the corridor and Sakura positioned herself in front of him, locking her sweet, melancholy eyes against his shadowed gaze. Her irises were like magnets, sending chills of desire that propelled him forth in the slightest. But at the very last second, he saved himself, tearing their visual connection and throwing his focus to the ground.

Sakura's following words, as soft as they were, formed a glistening dagger that pierced straight into his wildly beating heart.

"I grew too close to the one person I couldn't stand."

If the wound had been real, his blood would have trickled across the floor, staining the marble with every ounce of his disbelief and reeling mind until he was dry and empty.

When Syaoran merely drew in a sharp breath, Sakura mumbled, "You, too?"

"Yeah." The short word left Syaoran's mouth in a tiny, strained and crestfallen sigh. After a pause, he chose to keep speaking. He was going to be honest with her, even if it eliminated whatever was left of his pride. "Sakura, there's something I have to tell you. Ever since last week, you became…" He was going to spill the truth, even if she hated him in the end. "You became another business deal waiting to happen."

"I know," she whispered back. When Syaoran quickly lifted his bewildered gaze to meet her somber one, there were tears twinkling in the corners of her eyes.

"You know?"

"It was all part of the game," Sakura admitted softly, shame slowly transpiring from her face like a porcelain doll that had just cracked. "It was all part of the plan."

"The…" There weren't any words that could possibly explain Syaoran's reaction and the confusion that riddled his mind. All he knew was that he had been misled. Somehow, he had been given a taste of his own medicine… a taste of the agony that came with falling for someone you weren't supposed to fall for. "W-what?"

"The game to get on your nerves," she explained disgracefully, wringing her thin hands as her brows subtly met in regret. "The plan to bring you and your business down."

Syaoran felt his shoulder push harder against the wall, so hard that it began to hurt. He needed to feel some sort of physical pain in order to make sure he wasn't standing in fragments of a delusion.

"Ryo and I aren't a couple," Sakura continued slowly, her eyes downcast. Her unshed tears caught the faint light reflecting from a wall of glass beside them. "We're only a couple of Drama nerds who wanted to teach you a lesson. But it backfired. I played you, like how you played all these girls— my friends, our classmates— like how you were willing to play me. But…"

She swallowed with much difficulty, lifting her eyes to the glass ceiling above them, searching for the moon in its dark blanket sizzling with stars. Once she found it, a sliver of luminescence cradled within infinite sky, she returned her gaze to Syaoran and confessed, "I don't have the heart to do this anymore. I don't have the heart to hurt you anymore. And I know you don't have heart to hurt me anymore, either."

Syaoran lifted a hand to drag it over his hair, which was still mussed in spite of his formal ensemble. He ended up closing his eyes again, perhaps in fear of letting Sakura excavate his soul and scrutinize his every thought. His body turned so that his back was flat against the wall behind him. He curled his fingers into fists and punched them into the pockets of his black slacks.

"We're fucked up, aren't we?" he mumbled, his self-disappointment dragging him into a pit of despondency. He felt a lump catch in his throat as he nearly choked out those words, and at that moment something became very clear to him, a concept that had long since become foreign to his mentality.

He was trying to fight back a surge of tears.

But there was no way he was going to let Sakura witness him break down. Still, she repositioned herself in front of him to see him clearly. It did absolutely no good for Syaoran's thundering heart because now the glass and light were behind her, turning her into a beautiful silhouette that flattened the air out of his lungs.

"What are we supposed to do now?" she murmured to him, tilting her head to the side and letting her curls fall softly away from her bare shoulders.

"I don't know, Sakura. But I'm sure of one thing." For what felt like the millionth torturous time, Syaoran averted his eyes. Simply looking at her overwhelmed him. "There's no way we'll ever be happy together… if we're always secretly out to sabotage each other's life."

The silence that followed was not an easy one. It wasn't a type of silence that they had shared before, but it held a mutual understanding. Their rivalry seemed to be embedded in their blood, coursing through their veins like poison without an antidote. It was in their nature to outshine the other, to beat the other, to reign supreme over the other. Any harmony between them was always temporary, always fleeting— like driving a hand into the ocean and trying to grab a fistful of water.

"I think, at one point, we wanted to stop hurting each other," Sakura began, and Syaoran watched as her silhouette grew closer; she was stepping toward him. "But we just couldn't stop."

"Sakura…" Guilt infested his insides as he traveled his eyes over the way her exquisite curls lapped over her creamy skin. From that moment on, he knew he wanted this night to be the first, last, and only time he'd spill his affections for her. And with that thought in mind, he began to utter words he never thought he would say to her. "You're too beautiful and too amazing— and I'm not going to let you waste it on a guy like me."

Sakura's eyes widened imperceptibly, glimmering in the shadows. "What are you trying to say?"

"I'm saying, this is unhealthy— the way we treat each other. And w-we sh-shouldn't—" He paused to recollect himself, because he felt like he was on the brink of breaking again. "We shouldn't talk anymore."

"W-what?" Sakura's voice wavered with disbelief. She shook her head sadly, sending her locks dancing over her collarbone. "We can't just…"

"It's for the best," Syaoran interrupted darkly, pulling his back away from the wall behind him, momentarily shrinking the space between his body and Sakura's. He moved his eyes downward, letting himself shamefully drink in the rich green hues staring dejectedly into him, trying to analyze his every screwed up thought. As he struggled to rebuild his walls, the distressed look in her eyes silently fought to claw them down. "You're right. I don't have the heart to hurt you anymore. I don't want to be the reason why you join in on these sick games. You're better than that. You're a better person than me."

"No," Sakura replied in a hushed tone, feeling her breaths grow quick and shallow as Syaoran began to turn and walk away. It frightened her— how heavily it made her heart sink as he retreated. It frightened her to no end, and without thinking she found herself on his tail, reaching out and clutching his forearm before he could make a getaway.

"S-Syaoran—" Her voice was shaking again. "Syaoran, don't—"

When she tightened her grip, Syaoran whirled around and delivered her a devastated, desperate expression. He didn't know whether he wanted to wrench free and disappear from her life forever, or tug her toward him and hold her and never, ever let go. The two vastly different desires were scaring the shit out of him. He was afraid, and by the look flickering in Sakura's eyes, he knew she was feeling the same way.

They were both afraid.

But he was the one who wanted to walk away.

"Sakura," he began, internally cursing at himself when his voice began to quiver again. His bones were rattling with nerves, and that only made it all the more difficult for him to rid himself of Sakura's unrelenting clasp. "It's time for us to let go of everything that's happened between us. Everything. All of it. It's too much."

"So this is it?" Sakura's demanding voice echoed across the corridor, ricocheting from one glass figurine to another. Syaoran forgot to breathe when the tears lacing the rims of her eyes began to cascade, racing down her face in crooked, glittering streaks. "This is the end? You're just going to walk away? You're just going to turn me into another broken heart?" As her voice rose in decibels, anguish etched over her fairylike features. "Just another broken heart to add to your collection, right? _Just another_—"

Her words were lost in a void she couldn't pinpoint, faraway and long lost, because in the middle of her heated rant and bluster of rhetorical questions, Syaoran yanked free of her steel hold, seized her by the shoulders, and caught her lips in a fierce kiss. He kissed her full on the mouth, kissed her with nothing less than every bit of his affections, kissed her with every iota of pent-up longing that had built up within his aching chest in the years they had known each other.

For several seconds, they were in a galaxy of their own. Air and oxygen ceased to exist— the entire world ceased to exist, exploding into nothingness like stars when they expire. Sakura felt everything and nothing, Syaoran felt everything and nothing— and everything and nothing was too much for them to bear.

When Syaoran finally drew his lips away, his teeth slightly catching Sakura's soft, pink lower lip, he still kept the space between their bodies as minimal as possible, gripping her close and whispering into her ear.

"You're not just another broken heart," he breathlessly forced out between clenched teeth, shutting his eyes, embracing her tighter. A strange warmth surged through Syaoran's entire being, accelerating his heartbeats even further. She smelled like flowers, and he couldn't take it anymore. It was practically tearing him apart because he liked her. More than liked her, even. He wholeheartedly adored her. One of his hands trailed through her cluster of satiny curls while the other pressed against her lower back, killing her every thought of inhaling and exhaling.

"You're so much more than that, Sakura."

With that, he released her and stepped back, leaving her dazed and out of breath and in danger of collapsing, because her knees threatened to give out beneath her.

But all of it had been enough to shut her up.

And this time, when he turned around and walked away, she didn't follow him.

* * *

**A/N:** I had this whole chapter written out a while ago, but after I reread it… I didn't like it anymore, so I started the whole thing over and now it's completely different from how I originally planned it.

I also wrote this chapter backwards, for the most part. And when I say backwards, I don't mean word for word, I mean in sections. xD I don't know why I did. Uh, well, I hope you enjoyed the quick update. I wasn't lying when I said I really want to finish this story. Please send your thoughts/opinions/questions/love/cookies my way and I'll try to update as soon as I can.

By the way, on my profile, I've set up several links to instrumentals/songs that inspired this chapter. I also linked a few songs that set the mood for the next chapter, just in case you have nothing better to do and you want to hear what inspires my writing. :D

Who knows, maybe you'll be able to guess what happens next by listening to the tone of the music… (The third song for the next chapter is actually a huge hint, lol.)


	16. the red balloon

**Gallery of Broken Hearts  
**(16: the red balloon)

"Class, I would like for you to meet your new classmate, Syaoran Li."

The room of wide-eyed, curious first graders had immediately fallen silent as soon as the unfamiliar boy was escorted to the front of the room. They observed the way his gaze fell to his feet as soon as they zoned in on him. He had eyes like the last leaves of autumn and messy hair the color of chocolate. Would he be a suitable classmate and playmate? In their minds, they were still deciding. _Maybe_.

"Syaoran is from Hong Kong. He is six years old, just like the rest of you. Please make him feel welcome." The teacher glanced down at the boy beside her and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Is there anything you would like to say to the class, Syaoran?"

For a moment, the boy didn't utter a single word. He felt his chubby cheeks begin to burn. When he could sense that the other children were continuing to earnestly stare at him, he cleared his throat and opened his mouth.

First, he croaked. There was a giggle or two from the class. Then, he lifted his head, looked out into the room and meekly said, "H-hi."

While the rest of the children blinked at the short and shy greeting, a little girl in the front row leaped from her desk and threw her arms into the air, exclaiming, "Hi, Syaoran Li! I'm Sakura Kinomoto! We're going to have snack time soon! And I brought animal crackers!"

Other than the sudden outburst, the class was quiet. Their teacher, Ms. Sato, lifted a brow in amusement. A pretty, dark-haired girl from the second row hid a chuckle in her tiny hands, and that was it. The child by the name of Sakura glanced around, reddened in embarrassment, and quickly plopped back into her seat.

"It looks like someone wants to be your friend already," said Ms. Sato, smiling. "Why don't you take a seat next to Sakura?"

"_Oooooooooh_," breathed some of other six-year-olds, exchanging glances and snickering.

"Now, class," began the teacher sternly, "what is our number one rule?"

"Respect everyone," they droned in their tiny voices.

Sakura watched as her new desk mate sheepishly slung his knapsack over his chair and took the seat beside her. No matter how much she stared at him, he wouldn't make eye contact with her. She couldn't remember the last time she had met someone so… quiet. Tomoyo was sort of quiet, but she still _talked_. This boy wouldn't talk at all.

Soon enough, it was snack time. While Sakura pulled out her lunchbox, Syaoran remained practically motionless in his seat. She peered at him through the corner of her eye as she pierced the straw through her juice box and peeled off the seal from her carton of animal crackers.

"Hong Kong… that's in China, right?" Sakura remarked, managing to garner a glance from the boy next to her.

He nodded, and after a long pause, asked, "How'd you know that?"

A huge surge of triumph welled inside of Sakura at her success at getting a few words out of him. "It's on the globe," she replied, pointing to the spherical, green and blue object on the other side of the room. "I spin it around sometimes."

With the box of animal crackers still in her hands, she lifted it up and toward him. "Want one? It looks like you didn't bring any snacks."

"Thanks," Syaoran said quietly, reaching in and pulling out a panda-shaped cracker.

"That's funny. The panda is the national animal of China, isn't it?"

"One of them," answered Syaoran, biting the head off before continuing. "You're smart."

"She's the smartest girl in our class," came a cheery, airy voice— one that belonged to no other than Tomoyo Daidouji. Her shiny hair hung in perfect braids around her small face.

Sakura beamed. "This is my best friend, Tomoyo! She's the _prettiest_ girl in our class."

For the rest of snack time, Sakura and Tomoyo chatted away, frequently looking to Syaoran for his input. His cheeks turned a deep shade a pink and he averted his eyes whenever he entertained their questions and they giggled in response.

"Alright, class! Let's finish up our snacks, throw away our trash, and get back to our seats. Please pull out your arithmetic workbooks and turn to page 12. We're starting Chapter 3 today, but first, let's begin with some review."

Ms. Sato turned toward the blackboard, chalk in hand, and began writing a few simple addition problems across the board. "Now, remember, we're starting to deal with two-digit answers now. For example, can anyone tell me what 5 plus 6 is?"

"11!" chimed Sakura, whose hand shot in the air practically a millisecond after the question was asked.

"Good job, Sakura. The answer is 11. But remember, even if you raise your hand first, I still have to call on you before you can answer."

"Oh, right, sorry!" Sakura apologized, blushing.

"Now, our addition problems are going to get a little trickier this time because we're going to start adding two-digit numbers to one-digit numbers." Ms. Sato tapped against the next math problem on the board. "Can anyone tell me what 15 plus 3 is?"

This time, the unimaginable happened.

A hand went up at the same time as Sakura's.

All heads turned to face whoever had dared to challenge their smartest classmate. As children who were used to Sakura dominating in all subjects, it was a big deal to them, and they were all in awe. Even Sakura raised her eyebrows, but she forced herself to shrug indifferently.

"Ah, Syaoran! It's so nice to see you participating," Ms. Sato said gleefully. "Please, tell us your answer."

"18," he replied, in a tiny voice.

"You're completely right." Ms. Sato grinned. "Fantastic job." She gestured toward the board again. "This one may be a little harder, since we have to carry a one, but I know you're all smart, so let's try it. 16 plus 8?"

This time, as everyone including Sakura struggled with the numbers in their workbook, Syaoran's hand was the only one to go up.

"You already have an answer, Syaoran?"

"I did it in my head," the new student replied meekly.

"Very impressive!" said the teacher, while Sakura bit her tongue. "Let's hear it."

"24?"

"That is absolutely correct!" replied Ms. Sato, her smile brightening. "Now, I'll let you all start on your workbook problems. Please complete pages 13 and 14, and remember to show all your work. You may work in partners if you'd like. Just don't forget to use your indoor voices."

The kids immediately moved to pair up with a buddy. Everyone usually had their go-to person when it came to working in pairs. Through the corner of his eye, Syaoran watched Sakura gather up her book and pencils, and finally built up enough courage to face her and clear his throat.

"S-Sakura?"

"Hm?" Sakura looked up. She bit her lower lip when she saw it was Syaoran.

"Would you like to work together?" Syaoran's eyes were on his feet.

"Oh, um…" Sakura turned around and exchanged glances with Tomoyo, who was a few desks away. "I'm working with Tomoyo. Sorry." She shrugged apologetically. "Besides, I'm sure you really don't need much help."

"Right…" Syaoran said quietly, watching Sakura walk toward Tomoyo before sitting back down in his desk and picking up his pencil. His cheeks were burning again, and being flustered distracted him from solving the problems as fast as he normally would, but he still finished before everyone else.

An hour and a half later, when their workbooks were turned in and they had their independent reading time, it was recess— another solo activity for Syaoran. It was difficult fitting in when the other kids had already established their favorite playmates at the beginning of the school year. He forced himself to think nothing of it, and spent half of the time kicking a triangle-shaped rock across the sidewalk in front of the first grade building.

At one point, he kicked the rock a little too hard.

"Ow!"

Syaoran lifted his head and his eyes widened as he saw that his rock had hit someone. It was a little girl his age, with cherry red curls and milky brown eyes.

"I-I'm sorry," he stuttered, bending down and claiming the rock, tossing it over a fence before kneeling beside the girl. "Are you okay?"

"It's just a scratch, no worries," said the small girl, rubbing her shin. She smiled at Syaoran, revealing her tiny white teeth. "I saw you kicking that rock around for a while. Are you new?"

For the millionth time that day, Syaoran's face itched with a crimson blush. "Yeah."

"You didn't make any friends to play with yet?"

"No. I almost did, but I think I messed it up…"

"That's okay, you don't have to be embarrassed. I was new two weeks ago. Who's your teacher?"

"Ms. Sato."

"Oh, so you're in one of the other first grade classes. I'm with Mrs. Arai. She's nice. So are the other kids, mostly. But I haven't made any good friends yet, so I've been spending recess alone, too…" The girl paused and laughed. "Wait, I don't even know your name."

"My name is Syaoran Li."

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Syaoran Li. I'm Minako Hashimoto."

* * *

The day's first hint of sunlight spilled through the blinds, casting vertical bands of white across Syaoran's room. Syaoran sleepily wrinkled his brow as the light hit his face. He grunted and rolled over, pulling the sheets over his head.

There was the sound of a car pulling up on the driveway and the familiar thrum of the garage door going up. His ears perked. Obviously, he wasn't going to be able to sleep in this Sunday. He sighed and gave it a few minutes before the shrill voices of his sisters came echoing through the house.

"SYAAAAAAORAAAAAAN!

"WE'RE HOOOOOME!"

"HELP US WITH OUR LUGGAGE!"

"Help you with your 500-pound suitcases?" Syaoran muttered into his pillow. "You probably didn't even get me a souvenir…"

"WE GOT YOU A SOUVENIIIIR!"

"You've got to be kidding me," Syaoran groaned, tossing the sheets off his body and hauling himself out of bed. After the "events" of Friday night (in other words, rejecting his coronation as Prom King and practically making out with Sakura before disappearing off the face of the earth), he really didn't want to deal with human contact… even if those humans were his mother and four sisters that he hadn't seen in a month. In truth, he just wanted to isolate himself from the rest of society, and he was doing a pretty damn good job of succeeding so far.

His phone had been blown up the previous day. One missed call from Minako, two missed calls from Tomoyo, and over fifty missed calls and texts from Meiling. Nothing from Sakura.

Syaoran groggily ruffled his hair as he left his room. "I'm coming, I'm coming."

To his relief, his mother was the only one in the living room by the time he came downstairs, as his older sisters had gone back to the car to retrieve some _smaller_ belongings. Yelan took one look at her son's tired face and gestured for him to come closer. She held him an embrace that lasted nearly a minute— which was especially strange for Syaoran, considering they had never really hugged much ever since he started high school.

"How was your vacation?" Syaoran asked as soon as they detached.

"Relaxing… when your sisters weren't driving me insane," Yelan replied, exchanging sly grins with her son. "And how has school been? Prom?"

"School's been okay. I'm still in the running for valedictorian—" At this, Yelan nodded with approval. "—but we'll see. And prom… was prom."

"'Prom was prom', I see. Do you mean to say it wasn't all that special? Who did you go with?"

"I didn't go with anyone."

"No date for prom? That doesn't sound like my son," said Yelan, lifting a brow. "Why didn't you take the nice girl who stayed with you at the hospital that one day? Her name was Sakura Kinomoto, was it?"

"Oh, well, someone else asked her."

"Ah, so you've got a bit of competition?"

Syaoran felt his face heat up. His mother, a composed and rather dignified woman, always had a subtle way of embarrassing him. "N-no, it's not like that."

"Mhm." Yelan looked at him with controlled disbelief. "Well, I would still like to meet this lovely Sakura. Girls don't stay over at hospitals for just anyone."

"What are you trying to say, Mom?" sighed Syaoran.

"SYAORAN! OUR SUITCASES!"

Syaoran shook his head and turned on his heel.

"First off, where's my souvenir?" he asked as soon as he stepped into the garage.

"We were kidding. We just said that to get you to come downstairs. You didn't have a girl stay overnight while we were away, now, did you, little brother?"

"You guys are hopeless," Syaoran rolled his eyes, reaching into the car's trunk and grimacing as he pulled out a couple of their overweight suitcases. He was making his way through the living room again when Yelan called his name and said there was someone at the door for him.

_Great,_ Syaoran thought. _More human interaction._

He really couldn't catch a break. Couldn't a guy just take a day off to wallow in his stupid mistakes, remorse, and sorrow? Maybe even sit in a dark room and eat a half-gallon of double chocolate chip ice cream with extra fudge while watching Asian dramas? Apparently not.

It was Minako.

"Is… this a bad time?" his childhood friend asked, eyeing his baggy shirt, basketball shorts, and messier-than-usual hair.

"No, it's fine. Don't worry about it," replied Syaoran as he pulled the door shut behind him and stepped onto the front porch. "C'mon, let's sit down."

They settled down on the cushioned porch swing. Minako was in no rush to talk. They sat in silence together, slowly swinging back and forth. It was almost like the quiet moments they'd share back when they were children… but not quite. Things clearly weren't the same now, and they couldn't play pretend.

Finally, Minako took a deep breath and broke the silence.

"I've decided to return to France after summer vacation," she murmured, and Syaoran's eyebrows went up in surprise. "I thought being back in Tomoeda was what I wanted, but… everything and everyone has changed so much." She paused, turning to face Syaoran. "Even you. Especially you. It was foolish of me to think everything would be exactly as how I had left it, or that we could simply pick up where we left off…"

"Minako…"

"The other day, in your room… we should have stopped ourselves. We were both weak and lonely and wanted intimate comfort. But we both knew it was wrong. I knew it was wrong. I knew your heart was with someone else. I knew you were in love with another girl."

Syaoran felt his stomach twist. He dug his teeth into his tongue. Of course Minako knew. In a way, she was like Tomoyo. She was one of the very few who had the ability to read him like a book.

"You never looked at me the way you looked at her." As Minako gave him a sad smile, Syaoran averted his eyes shamefully. "Even when we were kids. When you saw her pass by, nothing else mattered in the world. In your eyes, only she existed. And I realize now, during the time I was gone— the way you looked at Sakura Kinomoto was the only thing that never changed about you." Minako's somber gaze fell to her clasped hands, which rested on her lap. "But… I'm okay with that now. As long as you do me this one favor, Syaoran."

"What is it?"

She lifted her head again to lock eyes with him. "Tell her how you feel."

Syaoran couldn't bring himself to answer her. Minako forced another smile, one that Syaoran was quick to mirror. He opened his arms. Minako leaned forward. They shared a long embrace and in the next minute, Minako was gone.

Not long after Minako's departure came someone else's not-so-welcome arrival. Syaoran stood up and watched with narrowed eyes as he recognized Ryo Ito's car pulling up beside the curb in front of his house. He ruffled a hand through his hair and sighed. Somebody in the great, mystical beyond _really_ didn't want him to be alone today.

As Ryo reached Syaoran's porch, he cleared his throat and offered his hand for a shake. Emotionless, Syaoran accepted. He noted the benign look in Ryo's eyes. This wasn't a confrontation.

"I'm only here to come clean," Ryo stated.

"Come clean, huh?" Syaoran replied, his disconnected voice gradually gaining a sarcastic tone. "Whatever do you mean?"

"You know what I mean. It's true: Sakura and I were messing with you, a while back. We were playing your game. But that was way before she developed feelings for you… and that's when things started to get out of hand."

Syaoran felt his brows knit together. _Developed… feelings for me?_

Ryo continued, even though he noticed Syaoran's perplexed expression. "We figured, 'If we're going to flex our acting muscles, why not see if we can fool the master of trickery?' You fooled people everyday. But we didn't think it'd get this far." He shook his head and his lips showed traces of a smirk. "I've gotta say, though… I don't know how you spent most of your high school career tricking people, especially all those vulnerable girls. You must have sold your soul to the devil."

"Sometimes, I feel like I did. But that's not the person I want to be anymore." Syaoran let out a heavy sigh. "Anyway, I'm not mad. Not at Sakura, not even at you."

"You're not?"

"How do I have the right to be? I got a taste of my own medicine. And, god, it fucking _sucked_. Being deceived is one nasty, bitter pill. After this experience… I can't possibly go back to my old ways. It's one of the bigger reasons why I can't wait for graduation. I need to get out of this place."

"Hmm." Ryo crossed his arms, nodding a couple of times and grimacing. "So, you're just going to leave her?"

"Leave her? We're not even together."

"You know very well what I'm talking about. You're crazy about her and, man— it's _reciprocated_. Doesn't that mean anything to you?"

"Of course it does," Syaoran's voice weakened for a moment before rising again. "But I'm not—"

"Stop with the 'I'm not good enough for her' bullshit. You only don't deserve her if you don't believe you deserve her. Everyone knows you and Sakura belong together— and you're the only two in the entire damn universe who think otherwise. And… well, never mind. I came here to make peace, not tell you what to do." Ryo shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. "But, please, think about what I said."

Syaoran's eyes narrowed once more as he took a moment to study Ryo's lingering frustration. "You like her, too, don't you?"

For a moment, Ryo was caught off-guard. He answered slowly, "Well… it doesn't matter anymore. We all experience our one-sided loves. We all get rejected at one point. And it sucks, and we feel like crap for a while, and then there comes a time when we have to move on. But you're lucky, Syaoran Li. Because you've got an amazing girl who feels the same exact way as you do. You just need to step forward and do something about it. _That's_ when you can say you deserve her."

Syaoran ran a tongue over the back of his teeth and inhaled sharply through his nose. He was still getting used to the fact that Sakura— the same girl who he'd been trying to get over since elementary school— finally felt the same way about him. After years of trying to reconcile with the idea that he wasn't good enough for her, how was he supposed to start believing he was?

"Thanks for stopping by," Syaoran finally said. He wasn't exactly sure what he was thanking Ryo for, but he had the notion that he needed to.

"Yeah. I'll see you around."

They shook hands again, exchanged nods, and Ryo left.

Syaoran turned around to go back inside his house— but not before glancing back to make sure there wasn't anyone else coming for an unexpected visit. When the coast was clear, he opened the front door and stepped in.

Yelan was standing in the hallway, sealed envelope in hand.

Syaoran stopped in his tracks and gave his mother an inquisitive look. "Is that…"

"It's the one you've been waiting for."

* * *

"Is there any double chocolate chip ice cream with extra fudge left in the fridge?"

"We…" Touya shot his sister a disgusted look. He paused to examine his sister's unkempt appearance. "We buy that stuff?"

"Yes." Sakura pulled open the freezer door and poked her head in. "And I'm planning on spending the rest of my Sunday eating the entire half-gallon and catching up on my Korean dramas. In the dark of my room."

"Uh, did you fail a test or something?"

"No."

"PMS?"

"No."

"Broken heart?"

"MOST CERTAINLY NOT."

"Sure."

"Aha! Success!" Sakura triumphantly pulled out the carton of ice cream and held it up in the air like a trophy for the world to see. But as soon as it went up, it went down— in Fujitaka's hands.

"If you eat this whole carton, you'll get a stomachache, sweetie."

"And you'll get fat."

"Touya…" Fujitaka warned, and Touya shrugged before exiting the kitchen.

"Can I have the ice cream back, please?" Sakura made puppy-dog eyes and pawed at the carton.

Fujitaka placed the ice cream back into the freezer and rested a hand on his daughter's shoulder. He gave her a meaningful look. "Sakura, what's going on? You've been cooped up in your room all weekend, making not a single peep. And now, all you want to do is eat ice cream and watch Kim Joo Won and Gil Ra Im fight and kiss on 'Secret Garden'."

"Wait, how do you know the names of the 'Secret Garden' couple?"

"…That's beside the point." Fujitaka replied quickly, coughing into his fist and reddening a bit. He became serious once more. "There's something I want to show you."

He reached into his back pocket and pulled out an envelope marked with Sakura's name.

"It doesn't have the sender info," Sakura mumbled, turning the envelope over in her hands.

"It doesn't need one." Fujitaka paused. "It's from your mother."

"From…" Sakura's voice cracked and faded. A wave of confusion washed over her as she stared at her dad in disbelief. He nodded at her, as if to say, '_Go on, open it._'

Sakura hesitated before running her thumbnail along the seal and gingerly pulling out the letter, holding it as if it might disperse into dust moments later. To her surprise and nostalgia, the stationery smelled very faintly of her mother's favorite perfume.

_My Dearest Sakura_,

_By the time you are reading this, you would have graduated from high school. I know you promised me when you were young that you would become Tomoeda High's valedictorian. But the fact is, my dear_— _and this shall always remain true for eternity_— _I am unconditionally proud of you no matter what. Whether or not you graduated at the top of your class, you will always be the best in my heart. All you need to do is keep being yourself, and keep being true to yourself. To be kind, understanding, and forgiving._

_How has adolescence treated you? I know high school must have had its rough moments, and I do wish I was there to hold you in your times of need. But I live through your father and your brother. I live through the small, cool breezes on the hottest days. I live through the brightest stars in the darkest nights. I am always with you, even though at times it may not feel like it._

_You are beautiful and strong, my sweet daughter. You will achieve everything you set your heart and mind to, and you will never be without my love._

_Always and forever,  
Mom_

Several tears dropped onto the paper. Sakura gulped and bit her trembling lip, running her hand over her late mother's delicate cursive. She hadn't known her mother had written a letter for her. She hadn't expected this. But her mother's words were the final piece of the puzzle Sakura had been struggling to solve this past semester…

"I figured it would be best to give this to you now instead of later. For some reason, I just have this gut feeling that something has been bothering you lately, in addition to the fact that they're announcing the valedictorian at school tomorrow."

"I wanted to be valedictorian for all the wrong reasons," Sakura whispered shakily, closing her eyes and resting the letter on her lap. "She was already proud of me when she died. Why didn't I accept that before?"

Fujitaka smiled gently, gathering his tearful daughter into his arms. "You were too stubborn. Your mother certainly had her stubborn moments, as well."

"I didn't have anything to prove, did I?"

"Not at all, my dear. We love you, just as you are. We always will."

* * *

_I hate Mondays._

Syaoran slung his backpack over his shoulder, sighing tiredly as he exited his class. His energy was seeping away from him at a rapider pace than usual, and he knew exactly why. Just as he was about to make his way to his final class— he was seriously dreading performing his scene with Sakura— he felt a hand clamp down on his shoulder. Unfazed, he followed the arm of the hand and identified the person.

"Kenji?" said Syaoran questioningly, his eyebrow lifting in surprise. He hadn't really spoken to him since he helped him break up with Kisa. As Syaoran thought back to the beginning of the semester, he couldn't help but feel that time had gone by too fast. By the look on the boy's face, Syaoran understood that he wanted to discuss something, so they stepped to the side, avoiding of the rushing mass of students.

"This is probably going to sound really stupid to you," began Kenji, his eyes squinting in sadness as he looked away from Syaoran, "but I miss Kisa."

"You— what?" Syaoran stared at him incredulously, barely recalling the old rant that Kenji had sputtered the day he and Kisa broke up. "Kenji, you seemed so happy to finally get rid of her."

"Yeah, at first," Kenji let out a bitter laugh, sliding one hand into his pocket and pulling the other one through his short hair. His voice was shaking. "But these past months have been _shit_. At first, yeah, I thought she was annoying as _hell_, but… I don't know, I miss her, man. Even the stupid nicknames. I could have talked to her about what bothered me. Even if she was annoying at times, she really did care. The way she surprised me with lunch sometimes… the way she'd make sure I did my homework. She never missed any of my basketball games. She was always there. Cheering. For _me_. She cared. She cared about me, _really_ cared about me, and I didn't have the decency to break it to her like a mature person. I wanted to avoid being the jerk by making that deal with you, but I ended up being one anyway."

Kenji let out a frustrated exhale, breathless from his heated spew of words. "I guess it really _is_ true— you don't realize what you've got 'til you've lost it. I wanted to get rid of Kisa _so_ bad, but now that she's gone from my life, I miss her more than ever."

Syaoran's shoulders slumped in exhaustion and deep thought. He was instantly reminded of one girl in particular, and it wasn't Kisa.

"I'm sorry, man, but I gotta head to class," Syaoran finally replied after diverting his thoughts from Sakura. He looked at Kenji with a sincere, apologetic gaze. "I'll pay back the money you gave me; I don't want it. Maybe it's not too late for you. Try to talk to her… tell her the truth and everything you're feeling. And let me know if there's anything I can do to help."

As Syaoran turned away and began walking in the direction of the Drama classroom, he couldn't help but wonder why the hell he couldn't take his own advice.

_Oh, right,_ Syaoran thought darkly,_ because you're not just another other guy who screwed up. You're the master of screw-ups._

* * *

"Amazing performance, Tomoyo and Haru!" cheered Ms. Zuki, clapping with more enthusiasm than the rest of the class. Syaoran felt the contents of his stomach curdle in anxiety. Ever since last weekend, they hadn't practiced their scene in the least. He had his entire part memorized and he knew Sakura most likely did as well, but they hadn't finished planning out blocking and movements. With every pair that was called up to perform, he hoped and prayed with all his heart that he and Sakura would not be next.

"Syaoran and Sakura are next," said Ms. Zuki, and Syaoran silently mouthed a vulgar word.

As Syaoran rose from his seat, he tried to catch Sakura's gaze, but she was looking at anything but him, even when they stood before each other in the middle of the classroom. His heart sank even further. How were they supposed to act together if they weren't even on speaking terms? He continued to stare at Sakura as the class awaited their performance. For once, he couldn't read her expression like it was a prominent billboard. Her emotions projected from her pretty face like an obscure, highly-confidential file of some sort, and he felt buried. Locked out.

This was his fault.

"Syaoran, Sakura?" inquired Ms. Zuki, indicating for them to begin.

Syaoran swallowed hard, feeling a small quake in his bones. He had never felt so nervous in front of a crowd before, and it certainly wasn't because of a performance. This was completely new to him. These were unexplored grounds. It was terrifying.

"It's been a while," Syaoran finally began, his voice filling with emotion the instant he started to speak. He thought of their skit's lines and couldn't believe how it related to his reality. This time, he wasn't simply acting. He had turned into Kei.

Sakura kept her eyes away from Syaoran's. She tilted her chin upward and said her line with spite. "You speak as though you care."

"I do, wholeheartedly," said Syaoran, his voice pervaded with honesty. "I care about you more than you'll ever know."

Sakura nearly hesitated at the surprising amount of sincerity in Syaoran's voice, but she resumed without a falter.

"We agreed that we were not meant to be together. It was evident from the start. But you were like a drug, Kei… it was so hard to quit you. I should have known your wandering eyes were bound to cause heartbreak. You have broken so many spirits, and so guiltlessly…" At this point, Sakura had her hands folded in front of her chest, like her heart was about to tear itself open. Sakura finally looked at Syaoran in the eyes, and he gulped when he saw the gathering tears. "I won't allow myself to be added to your gallery of broken hearts."

"Megumi. You might not believe me," Syaoran told her, stepping forward and reaching for Sakura's arm. She flinched at the contact. Syaoran continued believably. "But I… I _miss_ you."

"Don't say that!" Sakura demanded, yanking her arm away. The class sat in silence and awe as the tears began to cascade from the rims of Sakura's eyes. "Don't…"

"Hate my guts," Syaoran interjected, anger and sadness reflecting in his face and eyes and entire body. He was shaking now. "Go ahead. I deserve it! I'm scum! But when I'm with you… when I'm with _you_, you have an effect on me like no other woman. You…" His voice softened along with his expression. "You make me want to change. I'm willing to change for you. I'm willing to do anything for you. It hurts to be apart from you… it's breaking me."

Sakura's eyes were glittering slits now; the tears continued to fall. "I _hate_ you, Kei!"

"—I love you, Sakura."

The class had been so quiet throughout the scene, but now a shocked hush settled over the room as the entire class froze. All shuffling, fidgeting, or senseless moving came to an abrupt halt at Syaoran's error. Many eyes widened, especially Sakura's, but the most taken aback person in the room was Syaoran himself.

_I love you, Sakura._

And that was when Sakura realized Syaoran wasn't acting anymore. Her pupils dilated in shock. She didn't understand. _Why here? Why now?_ There wasn't time to ask questions. After a quick moment of gathering herself, Sakura struggled to appear unaffected and quickly finished off the scene.

"It's too late for us," Sakura whispered, lifting a quivering hand and wiping away the last of her tears. Even as she wiped them, more flourished from her eyes and trickled over her fingers. "You will _never_ change."

And that was the end. The class clapped awkwardly as Sakura and Syaoran numbly and briskly returned to their seats. There was one more performance before the class ended, but Syaoran and Sakura didn't pay attention to the mediocre acting that followed. They were drifting off into their own separate worlds.

When the bell rang, shattering their thoughts, Syaoran was surprised to see Sakura approaching him as their classmates began to exit the room. Dread began to steal its way into his gut, and he knew he wouldn't be able to stomach an encounter with her, especially after what he had accidentally uttered earlier.

Right then, Syaoran made a decision he wasn't sure he would regret. As Sakura opened her mouth to say something to him, he quickly turned away and darted out the door, his face a flaming red.

Syaoran didn't stop running until he reached the school's zen garden. He doubled over and tried to catch his breath. Did Sakura run after him? He didn't bother to turn around and check. Millions of thoughts and emotions and curse words flurried in his mind but he couldn't understand any one of them, and all he wanted to do was lie down and sleep and dream of nice things and avoid reality and Sakura and _everything_—

"Attention, students of Tomoeda High School," a slightly muffled voice rang out over the school's PA system. Syaoran could tell it was the vice principal. A bit of static echoed throughout the campus before the feminine voice continued. "This is a special announcement regarding class rankings."

At that very moment, Syaoran's turned his head and managed to lock eyes with Sakura, who had followed him after all.

"The points have been tallied and our valedictorian has been chosen. This student will be awarded during graduation for their hard work in academics and admirable performance throughout all four years of high school. Congratulations…"

Just as Syaoran was beginning to think his heart couldn't beat any faster, it nearly stopped.

"…Syaoran Li!"

All of a sudden, Syaoran had to struggle with every bit of energy in his body to keep from vomiting his guts out. Pride and guilt, happiness and shame, disgust and relief— feelings he never imagined he would ever feel simultaneously were hitting him from all directions, and he wasn't quite sure if he was still sane anymore.

If there was anything he could be sure of, however, it was the fact that the fulfillment of his dream meant the downfall of someone else's. And that someone happened to be very important to him. So important to him, that he was willing to make a huge sacrifice to make her happy.

Without another thought, he turned on his heel and headed straight toward the main office, drowning out every 'Congratulations!' that came his way. He didn't want to hear it. He felt _sick_. He needed to fix this. He needed to turn himself in— which was what he should have done in the very beginning.

It didn't take long until he heard her voice calling out his name.

"Syaoran!" She was right on his tail. When he wouldn't answer, Sakura picked up her pace until she was in sync with his hasty strides. "You don't need to do this."

Still no answer; just a troubled expression and a furrowed brow. Exasperated, Sakura grabbed Syaoran's arm and pulled, stopping him dead in his tracks.

"Listen to me," she began, her voice unusually calm. "Don't turn yourself in to the principal. It's unnecessary."

"How can you say that?" Syaoran demanded, piercing into her eyes with his own. "Of _course_ it's necessary! I don't deserve to be valedictorian."

"You made the marks," Sakura answered, shaking her head, maintaining her composed disposition. "You beat me. You've won. You're valedictorian. You got what you wanted. Why can't you be _happy_ for yourself?"

"Because I know you wanted it, too," Syaoran muttered under his breath, bowing his head and casting his gaze to the ground. "Maybe more than I did."

Sakura watched as guilt diffused through Syaoran's body, adding an invisible weight to his muscles that made him slump in an almost defeated way. She noticed the way his shoulders tensed, the way his fists clenched. He was conflicted. He wouldn't let himself celebrate his achievement… all because he thought he was taking her dream away from her.

"No…" Sakura finally replied, her voice softer than before. Since her hand was still grasping his forearm, she led him back to the empty zen garden.

After they sat down and Syaoran had the chance to take a breather, Sakura continued. "I wanted to be valedictorian for the wrong reasons. I thought… I thought it was the only way I could make my mother proud. It was the only promise I made to her before she died, and so in my heart I felt like I desperately needed to fulfill that promise. But it turns out, I was mistaken all along. I should have known better. I should have known that she's been proud of me, all this time. I never had to prove myself worthy."

Syaoran delayed to respond, though the stormy look in his eyes began to subside. Sakura quietly added, "My dream isn't to be valedictorian. My dream is to be someone my mother would be happy to call her daughter." She smiled gently. "But the thing is, I've been living that dream all along… and all I needed to do was realize it, overcome my insecurities, and accept myself for who I am."

There was a moment of silence, save for the tiny birds that chirped in the branches above their heads. Syaoran let out a heavy sigh, releasing the tension from his body.

"I know you want to make your mother proud, too, Syaoran," Sakura murmured.

Syaoran nodded once. "I do."

As soon as Sakura realized she was still gripping his arm, she loosened her hold on him. But rather than letting go completely, she slid her fingers downward and rested her hand comfortingly atop his. Her gaze dropped in surprise as she felt him turn his hand over and lace their fingers together. Sakura held her breath as a blush rose to her cheeks.

"Congratulations," she said softly, after finding her voice again. She gave his hand a squeeze. Their eyes met. Sakura smiled, her eyes gleaming happily for him. The sincerity in her voice sent a strange warmth spreading across Syaoran's face.

"Thank you, Sakura."

* * *

When the bell rang to signal the end of the school day, waves of students dispersed in all directions. Many left to go home or enjoy the company of their friends. Others stayed on campus due to extracurricular activities. Since Tomoyo was the head of Tomoeda's choir, she was required to help direct choral practices most days after school. It was one of the choir's last meetings, yet today Tomoyo was waiting outside of the theatre instead of immediately going inside. She glanced down at her wristwatch. When she looked back up, she saw Syaoran quickly approaching.

"You got my text?" Syaoran asked breathlessly, looking at anything but the dark-haired girl.

"Of course. That's why I'm out here instead of in there," Tomoyo replied demurely, jabbing a thumb in the direction of the door behind her.

"Still mad at me?"

"I heard your apology during prom. The whole senior class did. We're good." Tomoyo winked, smiling faintly. "But, are you okay?"

"What do you mean?"

"You royally embarrassed yourself in Drama class today. I mean, I already knew you felt that way about Sakura, but what a way to reveal it!" snickered Tomoyo, tossing her head back. "Best Freudian slip ever! Ohohoho! I would have _died_."

"Okay, okay." Syaoran rolled his eyes. "I'll let you take a few shots at me. I only deserve it, anyway, for breaking my promise to you."

Tomoyo giggled. "I only wished I had recorded it, so I can show it to your and Sakura's kids in the future."

"Keep 'em coming," replied Syaoran monotonously, nodding his head and waving a hand at her teasing comments.

"At least your outburst happened _before_ your valedictorian speech— congrats by the way, _even though Sakura deserved it_— wouldn't it have been more scarring if you said it in front of our classmates _and_ their families?" Tomoyo gasped and brought a hand to her lips. "Touya would _kill_ you… slowly…"

"He totally would. Are you done now?"

"Yes." Tomoyo beamed in satisfaction.

"So, about my text message…" Syaoran began, getting back to the point of their meeting. He felt his ears and neck heat up even more. "You'll help me, right?"

Tomoyo's eyes glittered. "Now, what kind of hopeless romantic would I be if I didn't?"

* * *

Sakura fastened the last bobby pin into her hair, securing her curls in a relaxed up-do. She stepped in front of her full-length mirror and surveyed her appearance, amazed that she was able to clean up fairly well without the magical help of Tomoyo. A simple necklace with a single pearl hung around her neck. She also had gleaming pearl earrings to match. She wore a fitted, creamy off-white dress that hung just above her knees, with gold buttons down the front and a heart-shaped cut-out in the back, revealing soft skin and slender shoulder blades. On her feet and giving her couple of extra inches in height were a pair of nude heels.

Was she dressed up enough? Sakura hoped so. Tonight, Tomoyo was going to take her to a fine dining, five-star restaurant in celebration of surviving senior year. It was a much-needed night out after their last grueling week of final exams.

text message from tomoyo daidouji  
_Be there soon~ Come outside in 5 minutes!_

Five minutes later, Sakura was stepping down her front porch. (Or, rather, trying not to trip down the porch steps in her heels.) Her eyebrows lifted in surprise when she saw a white limousine coming around the corner toward her house.

"Wow, Tomoyo went all out," Sakura murmured, fumbling with an earring. Even though Tomoyo could surely afford it, limousines weren't her main mode of transportation. She usually saved those for bigger, special events. _Maybe she's still trying to cheer me up about not being valedictorian…_

The limousine's door opened, and strangely enough_… _Tomoyo didn't step out.

Instead, it was Syaoran.

Sakura's eyes widened and her mouth parted slightly, yet no words came out. _What's going on here?_ She couldn't even bring herself to crack a smile when Syaoran grinned at her, hands behind his back. He was wearing a button-up shirt the same color as her dress, khaki slacks, and a pink tie.

This time, his eyes weren't wandering. He looked right at Sakura as he approached her, his gaze unfaltering, and brought his hands forth to reveal a plastic box with a pink corsage inside. Sakura's eyebrows met in confusion and she shook her head at him, choking out a laugh because she didn't know what else to do.

"Sakura_…_" Syaoran began, setting down the box and pulling out the corsage with one hand, and taking her wrist with the other. Sakura blinked in surprise, her eyes going back and forth between the corsage and Syaoran's kind, amber eyes. "Will you go to prom with me?"

Sakura felt her face burn with a myriad of feelings: puzzlement, surprise, anxiety… and a few others she couldn't quite identify just yet. She took a deep breath to compose herself, and smiled teasingly when she said, "You're a little late."

"C'mon," replied Syaoran under his breath, the corner of his lip twitching upward in a smirk, "work with me here."

"Syaoran…" Sakura sighed, shaking her head. "You really don't need to do all this…"

"Yes, actually, I do. I can't right all the wrongs I've done all these years, but this is the absolute very least I can do for you. I ruined prom for you last week." Syaoran's face filled with remorse. "That's not how I want you to remember me after graduation. So, please, let me make it up to you."

Sakura scrutinized Syaoran's regretful, sincere expression before looking down at his hand gently grasping her wrist. The corsage was beautiful: a cluster of pink cherry blossoms (and the trees were not currently in bloom, so these flowers must have been difficult to attain) flecked with gold and bound together by a shimmering white bow. Syaoran was really serious about this.

"Okay," Sakura finally answered, looking up and nodding at him. They smiled at one another, and Syaoran slipped the corsage onto her wrist.

"Alright then, let's go." Syaoran took Sakura by the hand and led her to the the limousine, holding the door open for her as she slid in. He followed her in shortly thereafter, and as soon as he shut the door, they were off.

They were in their own world in the back of that limo, separated from the chauffeur due to a tinted partition. Sakura leaned back on the leather interior as Syaoran began pouring a bubbly, golden liquid into two champagne glasses.

"Relax." Syaoran smiled, noticing Sakura's distracted gaze. "It's only sparkling apple cider. I'm not trying to get you drunk."

"I _know_." Sakura playfully poked her tongue out at him. "Shall we make a toast?"

"To Tomoeda High's valedictorian and salutatorian? AKA, the smartest, coolest kids in the school?"

"Sounds about right," piped Sakura, clinking her glass against Syaoran's. She took a sip and sighed. "You know, you seriously didn't have to go through all this trouble for me."

Syaoran shook his head. "It's no trouble at all. I just want to show you a good time. Don't think anything of it, okay?" He watched the tiny bubbles rise in the liquid. "But if you happen to fall in love with me in the process, I wouldn't be opposed to it."

Sakura nearly choked out her cider at Syaoran's joke, and shot him a fake angry look. They laughed.

"No deal, huh?" Syaoran smirked.

"I plead the fifth," Sakura quipped, going back to sipping her cider. She leaned toward the window and peered out. "Where are we going anyway, strange man?"

"Not very far," replied Syaoran, finishing off his drink and putting the glass away. He felt the limo come to a slowing halt. "In fact, we're already here." He took Sakura's half-finished cider, set it aside, and took her hand again. Sakura bowed out of the limo, guided by Syaoran, and raised her eyebrows as she realized they were parked directly on the pick-up and drop-off area in front of Tomoeda High's theatre. The campus was quiet, peaceful, and dark— the polar opposite of how it was during the day. Their only source of light was a couple of lampposts and the moon.

"We're at school?" asked Sakura perplexedly, following Syaoran's lead toward the theatre's entrance. She watched as Syaoran pulled out a ring of keys and began unlocking the doors.

"How did you get the keys? The only students that are allowed to have keys to the theatre are the President of Drama and the President of… Vocal Arts…" Sakura gasped. "Tomoyo!" She glanced around suspiciously. "Is she hiding around here somewhere, camera in hand?"

"Nope," replied Syaoran, pushing the door open. He chuckled. "Well, not that I know of…" He gave Sakura a relaxed smile. "It's just us two tonight."

Sakura smiled back. Syaoran offered the crook of his arm and Sakura accepted. They stepped into the dark theatre and began walking down the aisles of seats meant for an audience. On the other side was the stage. The deep red, velvet curtains were closed.

In a minute or so, they were walking up the steps leading to the stage.

"Stop right here," Syaoran said, letting go of Sakura's arm. "I'll be right back."

Sakura nodded, watching Syaoran disappear behind the curtain. She could feel her heart begin to race a little. She didn't know where this was going, but for some reason she was really excited. She looked up as she began to hear a pulley drawing the curtains back with a subtle whirring around. Finally, she could see what was on the stage.

And it was the loveliest thing she'd ever seen.

White and pink balloons, some floating and some simply laying across the floor, decorated the entire stage. Shiny, golden confetti was strewn about. In center stage was a round table set for two, complete with fine china, pink napkins, lace tablecloth, and two chairs adorned with ribbon. A centerpiece made of pink roses and tea candles brought the entire setting together, and everything shimmered underneath a subtle, dim spotlight.

Upon drawing the curtains, Syaoran stepped onto the stage with a picnic basket. Sakura couldn't help but smile ear to ear.

"I can't believe this," Sakura laughed, walking up to him, all the while gazing at how beautifully the stage had been transformed. "I can't believe you."

"Jeez, have a little faith in me," Syaoran teased, and pulled back one of the chairs for Sakura. She sat down, he scooted her in, and he began serving the food. Sakura looked on with amusement at the familiar dishes: spaghetti and homemade bread. Syaoran sheepishly explained, "It's the only thing I know how to cook, okay? You're the only one who ever bothered to teach me any recipes."

"This is perfectly fine," replied Sakura, still smiling. "It looks great, too. Forget five-star restaurants. I'll take spaghetti any day."

"That's what I'm saying," agreed Syaoran. They made sure to tuck their napkins around their necks as to not get any sauce on their white attire. Sakura swirled the noodles around her fork and took a bite. Her eyes lit up.

"Wow, this is really good!"

"Really?" Syaoran glanced at her with relief. "Phew, I'm glad. I was scared I was going to mess it all up and you'd hate me forever."

Sakura giggled. "No, really, this is good. As long as you can cook spaghetti like this, I'll still be your friend."

"That's comforting to know," Syaoran replied, rolling his eyes. He poured each of them a glass of pink lemonade. "You _better_ still be my friend. Look at all the _pink_ I've had to deal with!"

"Oh, come on, you know you like the color pink."

"Sure I do. It's not like it's messing with my masculinity or anything, you know."

They took a moment to make a few faces at each other before finishing off their meal and washing it all down with pink lemonade. Sakura looked up curiously as Syaoran stood up, removed his napkin from around his neck, and disappeared backstage once again. All of a sudden, a slow song with a pretty melody began to play. It wasn't one Sakura recognized, but it was nice and added to their faux prom's mood. Sakura could feel her face turning scarlet.

Syaoran stepped into view again, and held out his hand, a soft smile on his face. Sakura pursed her lips, trying to keep from blushing any harder. She finally tugged off her napkin, stood up, and took his hand. Syaoran's free hand went to her waist, and Sakura rested her own free hand atop Syaoran's shoulder. At first, it was a little awkward, but a few bars into the song, they began swaying together to and fro with natural ease.

"I got a letter," Sakura mumbled, finally starting a conversation. "I got a few letters, actually."

"College acceptance letters?"

"Yeah… but one was actually from my mom."

"Your mom…? But how…"

"She wrote it to me before she died. My dad was supposed to give it to me after graduation, but he decided to give it to me a little early." Sakura's face was solemn now, though her eyes were still bright. "It brought me a lot of peace. It helped me come to terms with the fact that if I didn't become valedictorian, it wouldn't be the end of the world. I just put so much pressure on myself…"

"When all you really had to do was try your best, right?"

"Right," replied Sakura, nodding. "I'm glad that I can be genuinely happy for you now."

Syaoran smiled. "And the other letters?"

"University of Tokyo, Kyoto University, Osaka University…"

"Top three schools of Japan in the _bag_," Syaoran cheered, giving Sakura's hand a congratulatory squeeze.

"Oh, hush. I'm sure you got them, too."

"I actually applied to only one school…" Syaoran bit his lip as Sakura raised an eyebrow at him. "In Hong Kong."

"Hong Kong?" Sakura's eyes went wide, and suddenly her head felt a little lighter.

Syaoran quickly began to explain. "During junior year, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology personally contacted me. They told me that if I kept my scores up, they would love to give me a full ride to their school, and a paid internship in one of their labs."

"Wow," Sakura breathlessly replied, casting her gaze downward. "That's amazing, Syaoran. So… that's where you're going, huh? To China?"

"Yeah…"

"Congratulations. It's a great opportunity." Even though she was smiling, Sakura still couldn't look at Syaoran directly in the eyes. Why had she been under the impression that Syaoran was staying in Japan for college? Of course there was a world beyond Japan. And he had every right to go back to his roots. They couldn't just stay in their little bubble in Tomoeda. "You'll do great over there. I'm sure you've missed Hong Kong."

"A bit," Syaoran replied quietly, watching Sakura watch anything but him. He could feel his heart sinking. "But I'll probably miss Tomoeda more."

"What are the chances of you visiting?" Sakura asked softly, bringing up the one question Syaoran feared she would ask.

"Very slim, I'm afraid. I'll be enrolled in an accelerated program. Rigorous courses, fast-paced curriculum." Syaoran sighed. "Not much time for vacations or… you know, a social life…"

"As in… dating," Sakura stated, understanding what Syaoran was trying to say.

"I won't have enough time to properly treat a girl right, during college. It wouldn't be fair to her."

"You know that any girl would be with you regardless— with you being you and all."

"I don't care about 'any' girl," Syaoran answered quickly, and his feet stopped moving, causing Sakura to follow suit. His hand left hers and he tilted her chin toward him, capturing her gaze. He could see the hints of sadness Sakura was desperately trying to hide. He was afraid of getting lost in that captivating green, but he gave her a meaningful look anyway. "I care about _you_."

Sakura didn't blink or look away. She slid her arms around Syaoran's neck and they resumed their slow, subtle dance, with Syaoran's arms around Sakura's waist. The gentle contact between them, though light, felt magnetic. They were a lot closer now, physically. And they stayed like that for just a while, until the song finally ended.

"Sakura?" Syaoran's voice, although soft, almost echoed out into the theatre. Everything seemed so much louder with no other sounds.

"Yes?" Sakura lifted her head from Syaoran's shoulder, gazing at him with shining eyes. It was like piercing his soul with a crossbow. Syaoran had to mentally remind himself to remember how to breathe. His lungs were burning.

Syaoran swallowed hard and bit down on the tip of his tongue. Finally, he opened his mouth and asked, "Can I kiss you?"

For a second, Sakura's visage did not change, as if she wasn't sure she had heard him correctly. She stared at his earnest expression.

"You're actually asking first, this time?"

"I know I totally messed up your first kiss, and I'm a jerk for doing it, and that it wasn't how you expected it to be, and that you didn't even _expect_ for it to happen, but I—"

"You're not going to run away again right after, are you?"

Syaoran shook his head. "I'm so sorry about what I did that night. I shouldn't have done it. It was stupid of me and I'll never—"

He didn't have time to finish his sentence. Even his thoughts were cut off entirely, because Sakura had leaned in and interjected him with a soft kiss. The sudden warmth of her lips against his own momentarily paralyzed him, rendering every single one of his nerves numb. He was mildly surprised his knees didn't give out from beneath him. Syaoran felt his heart trip over itself. _She_ was kissing _him_.

The kiss was quick and tender, and her lips were smooth.

"Thank you, Syaoran. For all of this." Sakura whispered, hugging him tight. Syaoran wasted not a second returning the embrace, savoring her sweet scent and the comforting, subtle heat emanating from her skin.

When Sakura drew back, Syaoran reached up and brushed an auburn curl away from her cheek. He then gently cradled her chin between his thumb and forefinger, locking eyes with her before slowly going in for another kiss. They closed their eyes, tilted their heads, clasped each other's hands— movements so natural, it was as if they were lovebirds in another life. In the glow of the spotlight, this was all that mattered at the moment. It didn't matter that they would be nearly two thousand miles away from each other in less than two weeks. It didn't matter that it would be hard to maintain contact— even with present day's technology, distance was always hard. The only thing that mattered was that they were together, if only for just a little bit. And for the moment, they could be happy.

But even as they enjoyed this simple, innocent intimacy… they couldn't help but think the kiss they were sharing meant goodbye.

* * *

"Principal Kawada, school faculty, family, friends, and fellow graduates, thank you for this opportunity to speak to you as a whole." Hundreds of people sat upon the bleachers of Tomoeda High's football stadium, which overlooked the field filled with graduates including the valedictorian, Syaoran Li, who stood at the podium. "Classmates, we only arrived here four short years ago, and now it's already time to leave. How did it all go by so fast? What did we really learn these past few years?"

"Was it Algebra? History? Economics?" Syaoran shook his head. "That wasn't all we learned. When many of our high school memories begin to fade, we'll ultimately measure our time here not in semesters or years, but in friendships and the littlest of things that meant so much to us. We learned countless lessons outside of the classroom and within the hallways of our school. We learned about life. We learned about people— about the people around us. We learned about making friends, about holding on and letting go— and about striving for what we want. And here we are. We got what we want. We're graduating. _We did it_."

"We all know that high school can be the main grounds for drama." Syaoran furrowed his brow. "But as we step into the future and the 'adult' world, let us forgive and forget our mishaps, our stupid mistakes. Let's all find peace with one another. For those who understand the deeper message I am trying to send, please know that I am truly sorry."

"I would like to take a moment to recognize our salutatorian, Sakura Kinomoto. While I've simply got the brains, she has the smarts, the talent, and a heart of gold— the entire package. It was an extremely close race, one that we've been running head-to-head since we were six years old, and I wouldn't have picked anyone else in the entire world to compete with."

There, in the middle of the front row of graduates, sat Sakura in her white graduation gown. She locked eyes with Syaoran and they smiled at one another.

"So as we move on to our next phase in life, and as we prepare for our bright futures, let us all remember what we've learned here in Tomoeda High. Not just Algebra, but the life lessons, too. Don't settle for anything less than what you deserve and be happy. Wherever we go and whatever we do, may we always be friends when we meet again. Congratulations, Class of 2010!"

The entire stadium erupted with cheers, and it wasn't too long before everyone had received their diploma and turned their tassels. White and blue caps were tossed into the air, a flurry of silken squares raining down on the graduating class. There was a mess of hugs and tears and kisses and delighted shouts.

Syaoran rubbed his shoulder; it ached from countless congratulatory smacks and punches from the guys on the soccer team. He smiled and waved at a few departing ex-classmates. His eyes traveled across the football field, catching glimpses of faces he might not ever see again. He sighed. It felt like the end, but he knew it was only the beginning.

_What a cliché_, he thought to himself.

"Syaoran!"

The skin of Syaoran's face prickled at the familiar voice, and he felt his cheeks flush with color. He turned around and faced the salutatorian. The white gown seemed a little too big for her thin body, but Syaoran thought it draped and billowed around her with a sort of elegance. The medals around her neck chimed together and her honor student tassels swayed. She hugged a teddy bear and several bouquets of flowers to her chest. She was an angel.

It was a miracle that amidst the chaos, Sakura was able to find him. Again, they exchanged smiles, but neither one was able to utter a single word before Syaoran was attacked by his older sisters. Sakura looked on with wide eyes.

"CONGRATULATIONS, LITTLE BROTHER!"

"YOU ACTUALLY GRADUATED!"

"Cryptic speech, though."

Syaoran gasped for air underneath his four sisters' crushing embraces and nuzzles. They finally let go of him when Yelan approached them and cleared her throat.

"Congratulations, my son," said Yelan, placing a hand on Syaoran's cheek. "I'm very, very proud of you."

Sakura couldn't help but stare at Yelan Li in awe. Until now, she could hardly put a face to the deep, elegant voice she had spoken to over the phone at the hospital. She could understand why. This woman was exquisite: tall, snowy skin, jet-black hair, high cheekbones and dark eyes. She seemed otherworldly.

"Ah, Mrs. Li—" Sakura reached out with a hand as she caught the woman's attention. "I'm Sakura Kinomoto. It's nice to finally meet you."

"The pleasure's all mine," replied Yelan, a hint of a smile on her red lips as she accepted Sakura's handshake. "I have been looking forward to meeting you. And here you are, a beautiful girl." Through the corner of her eye, she glanced at Syaoran, who gulped and turned red. "Thank you very much for accompanying Syaoran to the hospital when he fell ill. It truly means a lot."

"You're welcome. It was no problem at all. I'm sure he would have done the same for me."

"And that's how I raised him," Yelan answered, nodding. "Well, girls, let's leave these two alone. We'll meet you in the parking lot, Syaoran."

"Okay, Mom," said Syaoran, waving his family off. He turned back to Sakura and gave her a thumbs-up of approval.

"What?" Sakura laughed, lifting an eyebrow at him.

"People usually quiver in fear when they meet my mom, for some reason," Syaoran explained, shrugging. "You should see her when my room isn't totally perfect. Really scary." He smiled. "She seems to like you, though."

"I'm glad, then," Sakura replied, though her smile soon began to fade. "When are you flying out to Hong Kong?"

Syaoran rolled his eyes. "Jeez, you just can't wait for me to leave, can you?"

"No, that's not what I meant, and you know it." Sakura huffed, shaking a fist at him.

"My internship starts in a couple of days, actually…" Syaoran explained. "So I'm leaving late tonight. Catching a red-eye flight."

Sakura nodded, chewing on her lower lip. "Ah, that's… cutting it close."

"Yeah," sighed Syaoran, raking a hand through his hair. "Time to play with the big kids."

"Let's hope they don't steal your lunch money."

After they shared a half-hearted laugh, one that took a little too much effort, there was a moment of silence. Sakura took a few seconds to glance around for her brother and father, or maybe Tomoyo, but the crowd was too dense for her to find anyone else. She faced Syaoran again.

"Syaoran… I'm going to miss you," Sakura blurted out, almost turning a beet red.

"Ah, and so she finally admits it," Syaoran teased, but Sakura didn't let him faze her. The fact that she wasn't going to see Syaoran for a very, very long time was finally settling into her gut, and she didn't like the feeling at all. In fact, she hated it. But at the same time, she wanted him to succeed. She couldn't be selfish.

"I'm going to miss you, a lot," Sakura repeated meaningfully, moving her gaze to the brown teddy bear in her arms. Suddenly, she felt as if she would have given anything to be back in the theatre with Syaoran, listening to slow music and swaying back and forth in his arms. That night, time seemed to stop. She wished it had. But, just as Syaoran mentioned in his speech, they all needed to move on to their next phase in life._  
_

"You're not going to cry, are you?" asked Syaoran in concern, stepping forward and resting a hand against her arm.

"No. I'm happy for you." There was a graciousness in her tone that was completely genuine. Sakura gazed back up at him with a smile. Syaoran took one look at that radiant smile— the one that had always driven him crazy— and pulled Sakura into a tight embrace.

"I'm going to miss you, too, Sakura." His words were muffled as he buried his head into the crook between her neck and collarbone, feeling her soft wisps of hair against his cheek. _Strawberry soap._ Neither of them said a single word as they stayed in that position for good minute or so. By the time Syaoran drew away, his eyes were tearing up— something Sakura had never witnessed before.

Syaoran reached up and brushed at his eyes, grunting. "Ah, damn."

"Who's the crybaby now?" It was Sakura's turn to tease him, but her voice was soft and caring as she reached up and wiped a tear from the outer corner of Syaoran's eye with her thumb.

"Hah, very funny."

They stared at each other in silence before simultaneously looking up. An unknown student's graduation balloon floated freely into the sky. It became a red dot in a matter of heartbeats. In that minute, Syaoran and Sakura had never felt so small. They were on the verge of entering a vaster world, a more complex world, and they were just dots in the middle of an endless universe. Just like the sky, the possibilities the future would bring them were infinite.

"Sakura!" a deep voice bellowed from afar. A glance back confirmed it was Touya. "C'mon, we gotta go!"

Sakura shut her eyes and sucked in a breath through her teeth. Quietly, she said, "We have dinner reservations."

"Fancy." Syaoran commented, and Sakura reopened her eyes in time to see him beaming at her. "Thank you for everything, Sakura."

A confused look washed over Sakura's features, but it soon subsided and was replaced with a warmhearted smile. There was an obscure twinkle in her eye. Syaoran realized that she hadn't looked at him like that before— not to his knowledge, anyway. He didn't know what the expression meant, but it seemed bittersweet to him.

"Goodbye, Syaoran." Sakura leaned up and gave him an affectionate kiss on the cheek. Syaoran felt something soft and downy being pushed into his hands— looking down, he realized she was handing him the brown teddy bear.

He watched her step back, give a little wave, and turn around to leave. Within seconds, she was out of sight, lost in the crowd. A red balloon hidden in the sky.

If she had glanced back one more time at him, Syaoran wouldn't have known.

* * *

**A/N:** Wait… what? I'm alive? This fic is still alive? Yes and hell yes! I'm sorry it's taken me over a year (gasp) to update. Yeah, I suck. I apologize, life's been hectic. D: But I finally cranked out this abnormally long chapter for you. What do you think? It's the second to last chapter of this story; the next will be the epilogue. And it takes place… three years later. Whoa. Now, that will be interesting, won't it?

I could yak on and on about random stuff and how I wish I hadn't taken so long to update (because I seriously missed writing this), but eh. More importantly, is anyone still there? ;D Let me know.


	17. the healing of hearts

**Gallery of Broken Hearts  
**(17: the healing of hearts)

In time, summer fleeted from the grasps of Tomoeda High graduates. The days of beach parties and road trips peppered with laughter whirled past them in bright, technicolor blurs. The web of life seized these adolescent hearts in autumn, weaving them complex paths and placing them before forks in the road. College and university plans were finalized, many tearful goodbyes were uttered— some friendships stayed the same, some friendships ended, some friendships changed forever.

When they were thrown into the throes of college life, they began measuring time in cups of coffee and late nights filled with studying. The lighthearted life of high school hadn't prepared them for such rigorous courses in the least, but majority tried their best, giving their all. It would be worth it in the end.

Just like their mirthful summer, yet in a much different way, their college days began blending together— the lines between tomorrow, today, and the day before became as indistinct as a wisp of thread.

Three years passed by in what felt like a matter of heartbeats.

* * *

Tomoyo Daidouji, now a third-year student at the Tokyo University of the Arts, leaned a shoulder against the doorway of her best friend's bedroom. Winter sunlight was already leaking through the curtains, yet a sleeping body remained motionless beneath a thick blanket on the bed just below the window. Long, wavy brown hair splayed across the floral pillows. Even as the alarm clock began beeping at 11:00 AM, the lump on the bed did not move.

"Some things never change," Tomoyo murmured, tilting her head fondly. She glanced at her shining wristwatch and waited a good minute or so before making her way in. She switched off the alarm clock and grasped the edge of the blanket, giving it a strong tug. "Good afternoon, sunshine!"

A tired groan sounded from the bed as the blanket fell to the floor. The young woman who had been beneath it instantly curled up into a ball. "Holy…! Tomoyo! It's _freezing_!"

"That's why you need to get up and get your blood circulating!" sang Tomoyo, pulling her friend's arm and managing to get her to sit upright. Finally, she was able to the lovely (albeit sleepy and grumpy) face of Sakura Kinomoto, now a third-year university student at the University of Tokyo. "You should know about these things better than I do; you're the med student."

"Being a med student is exactly the reason why I need to stay in bed." Sakura brought a slender hand to her mouth and yawned loudly. "You know how much sleep I need to catch up on after all those nights spent in the lab…"

"Regardless, I'm not letting you sleep your winter vacation away. We have plans, remember?" Tomoyo pointed to the pink suitcase resting against Sakura's wardrobe. "And you do remember what today is, right?"

At last, a smile crept onto Sakura's lips. "I do."

"Perfect, because Meiling is already waiting for us on the yacht! You know she won't hesitate to leave us and celebrate New Years on her own if we don't get to the marina soon."

"Oh, you're exaggerating." Sakura laughed, dismissing Tomoyo's comment with a wave of her hand. She stood up, raising both arms and stretching catlike. She shook her long locks away from her face and yawned once more. Then, she caught Tomoyo's gaze, and they both deadpanned. Sure, Meiling Li was known for being quite reckless and, at times, an irresponsible friend— but would she really sail away into the firework-speckled horizon while drinking margaritas without them…?

"She totally would," the best friends agreed in unison, and Sakura immediately rushed into her bathroom for a quick shower.

* * *

The _Plum Jade_ (affectionately named after the English definition of Meiling's name) was one of the Li family's prized luxury yachts. She gleamed a creamy white, her exterior sleek and shimmering against the water, stationed securely at the dock as she awaited her passengers. Stunning and not overwhelmingly large, _Plum_ appeared to accommodate no more than six people.

It was going to be a cozy New Year's Eve.

Sakura looked on with awe as she and Tomoyo made their way down the wooden dock. She had never been on a cruise before. Being close friends with two of the most affluent young women in Tomoeda meant occasionally experiencing the wealthy lifestyle, yet Sakura didn't think she could ever get used to it. Still, she found it exciting that she was going to be floating upon sparkling, endless seas while celebrating not only a year's worth of accomplishments, but a new beginning as well.

Two men in suits took the young women's luggage and disappeared into the yacht to store them appropriately. As Sakura and Tomoyo stepped onto the ramp leading into the yacht, a familiar, bright voice chimed from above. They followed the sound of Meiling's words to the main deck.

At this new height, Sakura was instantly captivated by her surroundings. Even in the wintry breeze, she felt overwhelmed with a pleasant feeling… and although they weren't off to sea just yet, simply standing atop the boat was enough to thrill her. She cast a long, earnest glance around the main deck— ogling the glossy wooden floor, the leather couches along the golden railings— she imagined that as soon as they set sail, they would have the perfect view of crystalline seas from this spot.

"Welcome aboard!" Meiling squealed, and Sakura and Tomoyo were amused (yet not surprised) to see their friend wearing a short sailor dress beneath a long fur coat. There were even tiny anchor earrings dangling from her ears; 'a nice nautical touch,' Meiling had thought. "It's been a while, Miss Kinomoto. Or should I say, Dr. Kinomoto?"

Sakura laughed humbly. "Oh, Meiling. I'm nowhere near becoming a doctor. That's probably seven years away…"

"Still, I should get used to calling you that now. You're going to be my future kids' pediatrician, anyway." Meiling winked. "But enough talk about professions and whatnot. How's your love life? That's what I'm _really_ interested about."

"You never change, Meiling." Sakura shook her head, still smiling. "And the real question is, _what_ love life?"

"Sakura!" gasped Meiling, bringing a hand to her mouth. She exchanged glances with Tomoyo, who only nodded solemnly. "Don't tell me you haven't been dating."

Sakura looked away sheepishly. "Don't get me wrong, there were a couple of nice guys here and there, but nothing serious. I don't really have time to date…"

"Ah, what a load of bull, sweetie. This is the holiday season! You need someone to keep you warm during these cold, cold nights!" With that, Meiling snuggled against Tomoyo, who giggled. "You need to put yourself out there— you're not getting any younger, you know."

"Um, Meiling, I'm only twenty-one."

"Exactly what I'm saying!" Meiling exclaimed, then her expression brightened as if a brilliant idea had struck her. She clapped her hands together. "You know what? I'll do you a favor. I'll set you up with someone. He can be your date for the cruise."

Sakura paled and shook her head. "No, Meiling, really… that's not necessary…"

"Why? Is there a _certain reason_ why you're holding back?" Meiling purred, her lips curling into a sly grin. "Maybe because of a _certain someone_ from the past?"

"N-no, that's not it…"

"Then what's wrong? C'mon, I know the _perfect_ guy! He just graduated, too. And he's quite the looker. Isn't that hot? An attractive, educated guy with a good job?"

"Well…" Sakura hesitated, her voice faltering. She couldn't help but feel a little nervous. But why? Why didn't she feel open to meeting someone new? Wasn't that what the New Year was about? New beginnings?

"You guys will hit it off, I know it," assured Meiling, beaming as she reached for both of Sakura's hands. Suddenly, she peered over Sakura's shoulder. "And, speak of the devil, here he comes."

"W-wait, Meiling, I d-don't think—" Sakura's eyes flew wide as she stumbled over her words. Meiling's hands were on her shoulders now, and an uncomfortable warmth flushed over her skin as she felt herself being turned around. "To tell you the truth— you were r-right. I'm still not over—"

Kind, coppery eyes. Dark, mussed hair. A gentle smile.

"—Syaoran." By this time, Sakura was breathless, and the name left her mouth in a whisper. Being pushed into swift half-circle just moments ago left her dizzy, but what truly made her head spin was the sight of the person suddenly standing before her.

There was no hiding her shock. Her lips were parted slightly. Her eyes were large and glistening. She thought she would melt away into the ocean at any second, black out and wake up sputtering for air only to realize that she had dreamt it all. It wouldn't be the first time.

"We'll leave you two alone," Meiling cooed, linking arms with Tomoyo and leading her down into the lower deck. These words were unheard by Sakura, who could only momentarily hear nothing but her own thudding heartbeat in her head.

His voice guided her back to reality.

"So, this guy you're not over…" began Syaoran, crossing his arms over his chest and slowly taking a step forward, reducing the distance between them from six feet to five. It had been years since they had been this close. "I guess I'm going to have to beat him up before having any chance with you?"

It took a moment for Sakura to answer as she waited for her heart to compose itself. Finally, she found her voice, and managed to utter a rather demure response. "Yeah, maybe."

"Ah." Syaoran's gaze fell as he let out a short laugh and lifted a hand to tug it through his hair. It was such a familiar, nostalgic gesture that Sakura nearly lost her breath all over again. "He must be an idiot for not staying by your side."

"Maybe a little." Sakura smiled softly. The hints of sadness in her expression weren't unnoticed.

There was a long moment of silence, save for the thrum of icy waves brushing against the side of the yacht. They simply stared at each other. The sun was high in the sky now, illuminating the vivid green of Sakura's eyes. The late-December breeze picked up, sending chills over their skin and tousling Syaoran's hair. They were studying one another, desperately trying to figure out what had changed about the other in the past three years.

Their thoughts were identical: _You're so different now, yet exactly the same._

"What are you doing here?" Sakura asked quietly, her gaze unmoving.

Syaoran cleared his throat as he, too, fell out of the mutual daze. "Well, what Meiling said was true. I just graduated. Don't you remember I went through an accelerated program?"

"I remember. I just didn't know you would come back to Tomoeda after college."

"I didn't think so, either, until I got a job offer here. So I thought, 'Why not go back?' Tomoeda is home. And…" Syaoran hesitated, wetting his lips before continuing. "I left some pretty amazing things back here."

"'Things'?" Sakura echoed inquisitively.

"People. A person." Syaoran's warm smile returned. "You."

A blush proceeded to spread across Sakura's face— gentle heat that fought against the cold air. Although she smiled faintly, she wouldn't look at him. Even as she remained silent, Syaoran understood. There was no way they could simply pick up where they left off after three years of being separated. They weren't teenagers anymore. This wasn't a high school romance. Too much had happened, on both ends. There was a lot to talk about.

Behind the door leading into the lower deck, Meiling and Tomoyo huddled together as they peered through a tiny, circular window.

"…Do you think we're getting a little too old for spying?" Meiling whispered, yet she couldn't help but resume watching the heartfelt reunion. Syaoran and Sakura didn't seem to be talking much; there was a lot of disjointed eye contact and shy smiles, and things certainly weren't the same as it was back in high school.

"Never," gushed Tomoyo, setting down her camcorder as soon as she was satisfied with the captured footage.

"Thought so."

They high-fived.

"Oh, here they come!" hissed Meiling, and they back away from the door. Tomoyo quickly moved to sit down on a small couch and Meiling rushed to lean against the counter of the minibar. Everything was so exquisite, but compact.

The door opened, momentarily letting in the chill from outside as Sakura, followed by Syaoran, came down the small set of stairs. While Syaoran latched the door closed, Sakura joined Tomoyo on the couch.

"We should be setting sail soon," Meiling informed them, ignoring her companions' vaguely exasperated expressions as she began to pour herself some champagne. "What? I know it's early. But it's New Year's Eve. Live a little." She took a sip and sighed happily, then pointed a pinky finger at Syaoran and Sakura. "By the way, you guys have adjoining cabins. Hope you don't mind."

Sakura mumbled something incoherent and averted her gaze. Tomoyo giggled and slid an arm comfortingly around her friend. Syaoran joined Meiling at the minibar and gave his cousin a stern look.

"You're diabolical, you know that?" he said under his breath.

Meiling winked at him. "Thank me later."

* * *

By sunset, the Tokyo Metropolis grew tinier with every passing second, turning into a mere set of silvery columns in the distance as the _Plum Jade_ continued to sail. They had been seaborne for quite some time now, enjoying the yacht's many amenities, as a group and separately. While Meiling enjoyed mixing her own drinks at the minibar and entertaining herself with a healthy dose of tipsy solo karaoke, Tomoyo joined the chef in the small kitchen to observe dinner preparation in fascination, and Syaoran caught up with the elderly captain, who had been a dear friend of his since childhood.

Meanwhile, up on the main deck, Sakura admired the oceanic view, her elbows perched against the golden railings. She clasped her hands and rest her chin atop them, dreamily watching the crystalline waves roll by. A shiver coursed through her body as the wind picked up. As if perfectly on cue, Tomoyo appeared by Sakura's side, passing her a mug of steaming hot chocolate. A dollop of frothy whipped cream hid the cluster of puffy marshmallows beneath.

"From the chef," said Tomoyo, a mug of her own in her other hand, which she extended for a toast. "Here's to the year ahead of us."

There was a grateful look on Sakura's face as she clinked her mug against Tomoyo's. "What do you think this year will bring us, Wise One?"

"I wish I knew the answer… but one thing's for sure." Tomoyo's eyes sparkled, smiling subtly. "Our friendship will remain the same. Always."

"Forever," confirmed Sakura, nodding sincerely. Finally, she took a sip of the hot chocolate, a burst of rich sweetness and heat spreading over her tongue. A touch of whipped cream clung to the tip of her nose as she lowered the mug. Tomoyo laughed melodically, and Sakura grinned.

"Why aren't you with Syaoran?" Tomoyo asked lightly, lifting a hand and gently swiping the cream away.

"Oh, I don't know…" Sakura turned to face the ocean again, holding her mug close. "Should I be?"

"Well, it's been _years_ since you've seen each other. I'd like to think that you two would want to catch up. All day, you guys have just been sort of… glancing at each other. As if there's something you want to say to one another, but you two are holding back. There's no need to be shy, you know. It's just Syaoran," Tomoyo teased, but her voice was calm and soothing. There was a knowing look in her eyes; the look that she'd often had while observing Sakura and Syaoran in high school. "But the short answer is… yes, you should be with him."

Sakura bit her lower lip, unsure of what to say. She was saved when Meiling called out from the lower deck.

"Come on, everyone! Dinner's ready!"

The best friends linked arms and made their way down into the lower deck's dining area, which was a small yet incredibly refined space with a round glass table surrounded by white leather chairs and illuminated by candlelight. There was a window beside the table, allowing for a close view of the ocean's churning waves. Sakura settled down on a seat beside Tomoyo, finding herself sitting directly across Syaoran, who had looked up and smiled at her as soon as she entered the room. She returned that smile now, retrieving her cloth napkin and draping it over her lap.

Meiling was spiritedly chatting away with the chef, who had come to personally serve the first course, which was an appetizer in the form of delicate egg drop soup. After the chef served a generously aged red wine to the four of them and bowed out of the room, Meiling focused her attention on her companions.

"We have such a magnificent meal ahead of us," she told them excitedly, already indulging in the wine while the rest tasted the soup. Her cheeks were flushed with pink. "He made eight courses, just like I asked him!"

"We might be eating 'til next year, then," Syaoran inputted humorously, and Meiling glared at her cousin. Sakura tried not to sputter out her soup as she choked on a laugh.

"Speaking of bringing in the New Year," began Tomoyo, lowering her spoon from her lips, "is the chef the man you will be sharing your New Years kiss with, Meiling?"

Meiling's intoxicated blush shifted from pink to scarlet at Tomoyo's question. The chef was not much older than they were— he appeared to be in his mid to late twenties— and he certainly wasn't terrible to look at, with his sandy hair and friendly, dark brown eyes. In fact, he was rather handsome.

"D-don't be ridiculous!" stammered Meiling, looking down at her soup. "We have a strictly _professional_ relationship!"

"I'm sure he's quite the professional," teased Syaoran, and Tomoyo and Sakura giggled as Meiling hid her embarrassed face in her hands.

"What's all this talk about a New Years kiss?" queried Sakura, who had heard Tomoyo and Meiling mentioning it a few times throughout the day.

"I'd like to hear about this strange phenomenon, too," added Syaoran, glancing at Sakura, who began fighting a blush as soon as she realized his eyes were set on her.

"You two seriously haven't heard about the New Years kiss?" Meiling asked, lifting her head and looking both incredulous and disdainful. "It's when you kiss that special someone at the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve. If you don't do it, you're destined to a year of loneliness."

"How tragic," Syaoran and Sakura droned in unison, both of their voices faking sadness. They exchanged flustered glances at their matching response, while Tomoyo and Meiling snickered.

* * *

A quarter before midnight, Sakura stood upon the main deck once more, deciding that the farthest end of the _Plum Jade_ was her favorite spot on the yacht. Standing there, she could still see Tokyo and its faraway city lights, a spectrum of blinking colors. She knew that behind the glow of Tokyo was the smaller city of Tomoeda, her hometown. She thought of the innocence she had left there… the naivety and the childhood memories. It wasn't as if she hadn't made plenty of good memories at the University of Tokyo— she definitely had, and with Tomoyo's school a mere twelve minutes away from her own, she always had her most cherished friend nearby. But nothing was the same as home.

Once again, a chill ran down Sakura's spine as the wind speed heightened. Someone was next to her now, but this time, it wasn't Tomoyo. She felt a warm, heavy coat being placed upon her shoulders. With a small start, Sakura turned to face Syaoran. She gripped the collar of the coat and tugged at it to keep it from sliding off.

"Thank you," Sakura murmured, smiling appreciatively at him.

Syaoran shrugged, as if to indicate it was no big deal. He mirrored her earlier stance, resting his elbows against the golden railing. "Watch the fireworks with me?"

Sakura nodded. They both cast their eyes upward, where the sky was a black canvas splattered with shimmering stars and luminous dust. The moon was full, hugged by a resplendent halo.

"It's so difficult," whispered Syaoran, "seeing the stars in Hong Kong."

"I know what you mean," Sakura quietly agreed. "It's the same for Tokyo."

There were many late nights when Sakura would peer out of her laboratory's window to look at the sky, only to see hazy darkness and the moon. And during those moments, she couldn't help but wonder if— somehow, somewhere, nearly two thousand miles away— Syaoran was gazing at the same moon she was.

Before Syaoran could reply and possibly take the conversation in a sad direction, which Sakura feared, she quickly added, "Tell me about the job offer you mentioned this morning."

"I've been given the opportunity to run one of the labs in the University of Tokyo."

"No way." Sakura looked at him in disbelief, eyebrows raised. "That's my school."

"I know," Syaoran replied, his mouth forming a barely perceptible smile.

"And I do lab work there…"

This piece of information, Syaoran did not know. He blinked. "Do you?"

"Yeah." Sakura couldn't help but laugh at the coincidence, and Syaoran joined in. "Well, looks like I'll see you there."

Syaoran smirked, and Sakura saw a glimmer of the schoolboy she once knew. "No competing this time, okay?"

"Can't make any promises," Sakura answered coyly, bumping her shoulder against his. This small action seemed to breathe life into the kind of relationship they once had when the hostility died down, three years ago. The playfulness, the teasing— the brief, lighthearted touches that held so much meaning behind them.

"Look, Sakura…" Syaoran suddenly began, and Sakura held her breath. By the tone of his voice, she knew what was coming, and she wasn't sure if she wanted to face the conversation just yet. "About losing contact with you… I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Sakura's voice was tiny, as if she had to reach into her voicebox and coax her words out. She swallowed dryly. Her eyes found the city lights once more. In the middle of that lambent mass was the university she attended— the place she often felt enslaved to, regardless of how much she enjoyed her major. "It wasn't just you— it was me, too. We both got so busy… and it sort of just… happened. We didn't mean for it to, but it did."

"But I'm still so sorry that it did happen. I should have reestablished contact." If Sakura had the courage to look at Syaoran, she would have seen how his eyes reflected the rawest kind of remorse. "You know… every now and then, back in Hong Kong, I'd be staying up late, writing up a report or studying… and I'd just stop. I would sit there for a while and do nothing except think about you and what you might be doing— if you were sound asleep in bed, if you were dreaming, if you were dreaming of me, maybe…" At this, Sakura looked at Syaoran through the corner of her eye. "Or if you were awake and doing work like I was. Maybe you were out in the town, hanging out with some spectacular guy…"

Sakura interrupted him, shaking her head and finally looking at him straight in the eyes. "I've done all of the above except for the last one, with the reason being all of the above except for the last one."

They smiled meaningfully at one another. Syaoran stepped closer to her and placed his hands on her shoulders, holding her at an arm's length. His brows met as he stared at her, as if something concerned him— or perhaps he was deep in thought.

At first, Sakura was puzzled. "Syaoran…?"

"Give me a sec. I just want to look at you." Syaoran let out an embarrassed laugh, which Sakura could only echo for lack of a better reaction. "I mean, it sounds weird, and I know it doesn't make sense, but—"

"It makes perfect sense, actually," Sakura suddenly replied with newfound enlightenment. This… _this_ was what they had wanted to do all day: simply look at one another, reacquaint their memory with the sight of the other.

Syaoran observed the way Sakura carried herself— it was as if she had acquired a new sense of confidence over the years, and truly learned how to take pride in her accomplishments. Her hair was no longer chin-length, but instead waved slightly past her shoulders, healthy and silky as ever. Though still slender, she had developed a few curves— and while her waist seemed quite narrow, her hips flared out maturely. He lifted a hand, face alight with wonder, and traced the contour of her cheek. Her skin was still supple; her eyes were still precious green gems.

Sakura followed suit, bringing a hand to lightly trail her fingers along Syaoran's jawline. He was certainly taller now, with a more filled-out frame and broader shoulders. In spite of getting it styled shorter, his dark brown hair was still a mess, and it only grew more unkempt in the wind. His features held the same spirit as she remembered… a steadfast wolf on the hunt.

On the other side of the main deck, Meiling and Tomoyo cheered toward the sky as they began to count down toward the New Year. Syaoran and Sakura remained silent for a moment, not moving from their current position.

"_Ten!"_

"_Nine!_"

Sakura gazed up at Syaoran, her eyes twinkling beneath her lashes. "Do you really not believe in what Meiling said?"

"_Eight!"_

"_Seven!"_

"Hm?" Syaoran lifted a brow. He moved his hand from Sakura's cheek to push away a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "The New Years kiss thing?"

"_Six!"_

"_Five!_"

"Yeah…"

"I'm not that superstitious, so no… I don't really believe in it."

"_Four!"_

"_Three!_"

"Ah…" Sakura averted her gaze, dropping her hand from Syaoran's face. As she did this, Syaoran smiled at her, and caught her hand before it fell to her side. Tenderly, he pulled her close, prompting her to look at him once more.

"_Two!_"

Syaoran bowed his head until his mouth was beside Sakura's ear. His warm breath tickled her skin as he murmured, "But I'm going to kiss you anyway."

"…_One!_"

A resounding pop echoed through the icy air, and a stream of sparkling light beamed into the sky above them. It disappeared momentarily before erupting into an explosion of gold, and it was as if radiant glitter was spreading itself across a dark blanket, spiraling down like gleaming honey. Several more crackles sounded, and reds and blues and greens streaked into the sky, filling the cloudless night with vibrant colors.

The fireworks were nearly deafening and Meiling and Tomoyo's cries of excitement were shrill, but Sakura and Syaoran didn't hear any of it. In their world, everything was silent, and nothing and nobody else existed except the two of them.

Syaoran moved back to catch Sakura's anxious gaze before leaning down and resting his forehead against hers. They closed their eyes, blind to their breath visibly mingling in the air like transparent veils. Then suddenly, Syaoran brushed his mouth against Sakura's, and a pang of affection manifested itself deep in her chest, somewhere behind her ribcage— likely within her heart. Her heart jumped, and it almost hurt because she was feeling so much, but as soon as the jolt subsided, she felt every bit of wonderful warmth she had missed over the years— the warmth that came only with kissing Syaoran. The coat around Sakura's shoulders collapsed to the ground as their lips drew together and apart like the ocean's tides upon sandy beaches, his hands tangled in her hair, her eyelashes tickling his heated skin.

When they finally broke apart, they were breathless and trembling, slightly feverish beneath each other's touch. Their faces burned with a type of happiness that only silly, dizzy fools felt. They held each other and looked up, watching the final firework rise and plummet in the sky like a blazing, falling star.

Sakura closed her eyes once more as she felt Syaoran dip down to delicately press his lips against her forehead.

"Happy New Year, Sakura."

* * *

There was no denying the comfiness of the yacht's beds; Sakura had never before encountered anything so cozy and yielding to the tired body. The mattress was downy, with just the right touch of springiness, and contained a built-in heater. The blankets were thick and fluffy. It was like resting on a warm cloud. But if she had to be completely honest with herself, Sakura simply wasn't used to it, and that was reason enough for her not to be able to fall asleep.

Soon enough, she was sitting upright and slowly swinging her legs over the edge of the bed. She stood up, her pink satin nightie falling just above her smooth, milky knees. Yawning, she reached for her white fleece robe and draped it over her shoulders. It wasn't long before she found herself standing before the door that separated her cabin from Syaoran's.

She lifted a hand and hesitated for a moment. Then, she tapped her knuckles against the wood and held her breath.

"…Sakura?" A soft, vaguely confused voice sounded from the other side. Sakura's brows lifted in both slight surprise and relief. It didn't sound like she interrupted his sleep. He was still awake. Even so, she didn't know what to say.

_What am I doing?_ she thought to herself, embarrassed.

After a minute of silence, Syaoran spoke again. "Sakura…? Open the door, if you want." Another pause. "I promise I'm decent."

That ushered a small laugh from Sakura, setting her at ease a little. She resolved to turn the brass knob, pushing the door open— revealing the sight of Syaoran lounging on his bed, wearing a plain gray T-shirt, blankets drawn up to his hips. In his hand was the remote to the small, flat-screen TV positioned high on the wall in front of him. He had been listlessly flipping through the list of available movies, but now his eyes were on Sakura.

"Can't sleep?" he asked, switching off the TV and setting the remote aside. He quickly raked his eyes away from the short nightie peeping from beneath Sakura's robe. When she nodded, abashed, the corner of Syaoran's lip lifted in a half-grin. "Do you need a bedtime story?"

Sakura was instantly reminded of the distant time Syaoran had climbed into her bedroom window and comforted her, then later helped her fall asleep after telling her a story. She leaned against the threshold, shaking her head at him. "How are you at lullabies?"

"Not so good, I'm afraid. You might have to go to Tomoyo for that one."

They smiled at one another. Sakura hugged her midsection and looked down, tracing circles on the fine wood floor with a foot as she spoke. "I didn't realize how difficult it'd be, falling asleep in a boat. I feel a little queasy."

Concern began to etch its way into Syaoran's visage. "Do you need to throw up?"

"No… I feel like I need to lie down, but at the same time, that makes me even more nauseous." Sakura sighed. "Maybe I just need to get used to it. Maybe I just miss my dad and brother…"

"Come here," Syaoran said gently, and Sakura's head lifted in controlled surprise. He beckoned her with a hand. When she hesitated at the doorway, Syaoran chuckled and rolled his eyes. "Don't worry, I'm not trying to seduce you."

Sakura pursed her lips, trying not to laugh. She slowly made her way to the other side of his bed, gingerly sliding under the covers. She initially left a good deal of space between the two of them, but Syaoran decidedly shifted closer to her, and eliminated the distance by wrapping an arm around her shoulder. Naturally, Sakura's turned her body slightly toward him, and her head fell perfectly against the crook of his neck.

Finally, she had found the ultimate comfort.

"Sometimes, being next to someone helps you feel steadier," Syaoran mumbled against Sakura's hair. "How do you feel now?"

"Much better," Sakura replied in a whisper that tingled Syaoran's collarbone. Her eyelids were already beginning to grow heavy. After a moment of silence and steady breathing from the both of them, Sakura asked, "What's your reason for being awake?"

"Well, I just… can't stop thinking about earlier." Syaoran began. She felt his throat rumble imperceptibly as he let out a soft, content chuckle. "That was the happiest I'd been in a long time."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, it wasn't like I was depressed while studying in Hong Kong. It was just… different." Syaoran sighed, and Sakura observed the slight rise and fall of his firm chest. She placed her hand there, savoring the warmth and the heartbeat therein. "But up there, with you— I was deliriously happy. I thought I was going to jump out of my skin and float away because I was so happy. And… I know I'm not making sense anymore. I'm just tired." He chuckled again. "But I'm glad. I'm glad to be here with you."

"Syaoran…" Sakura's brows met at his heartfelt words. They exchanged sincere looks.

Syaoran withdrew his arm and turned his body to face Sakura, gazing into her sleepy eyes. He lifted a hand to cradle her chin between his thumb and index finger— a gesture he hadn't performed since high school.

"I know it's not going to be fancy boat rides and fireworks all the time. Even after we get off this yacht tomorrow, I'll still feel this way." Syaoran's words overflowed with affection. Sakura's eyes began to widen. "I've always felt this way."

Syaoran's face was inches away from hers. He was looking at her with eyes awash with devout emotion. Sakura was lost in that ardent gaze, adrift in a coppery world flecked with radiant gold. She didn't know if she was still breathing— or if her heart was still beating, or if it was beating too fast for her to notice.

As if revealing a secret that had been desperately longing to escape his chest for lifetimes, Syaoran whispered, "I've always been in love with you, Sakura."

Instead of replying right away, Sakura only leaned toward him, closing her eyes and eradicating every bit of space left between their lips. Syaoran's eyes shut as he responded fervently. They both smiled into the kiss. Their bare legs were entangled beneath the sheets, and there was a sort of new, thrilling heat emanating from their touching skin.

Finally, as they pulled away slightly, Sakura spoke, her small voice riding on a happy sigh.

"And I've always loved you back."

There weren't any words left to be spoken for the night.

As Sakura snuggled against him once more, Syaoran couldn't help but notice how nicely their bodies fit together. Her hand was smaller than his, but their fingers seemed to meld seamlessly— not a single millimeter of space separated their touching palms. It was peculiar, the way every part of the human body seemed to be able to fit with the body of another— crevices between fingers, the bend of the elbow, the dip of a collarbone, the soft curve of lips. They were beings made with counterparts; being made for love. They were two completely different people, two completely different pieces of a puzzle. But around the edges they matched up perfectly, and together they clicked to make a beautiful picture: two hearts connecting as one.

There was a silent understanding that they would never be broken again.

* * *

**A/N:** …And there it is! The end! I want to thank everyone who stuck by this story even though there were times when I'd take forever to update. I wouldn't have been able to finish this without all your kind words and support. Keep an eye out for my future stories— there will definitely be more, and they will definitely be CCS. I already have a new one planned out, and if all goes well, it should be out sometime in January.

Have a Happy New Year, everyone, and stay safe!


End file.
